Trade deficit ebbs as exports rise to record high (AP)

WASHINGTON - The U.S. trade deficit narrowed in May as exports — including industrial supplies and consumer goods — climbed to all-time highs. The latest snapshot of trade activity, reported by the Commerce Department on Friday, showed that the nation's trade gap, thanks largely to the declining dollar, decreased to $59.8 billion. That was down 1.2 percent from April's trade deficit and was the best showing since March. Exports of U.S.-made goods and services totaled an all-time high of $157.6 billion in May. That marked a 0.9 percent increase from April. The declining value of the U.S. dollar relative to other currencies, especially the euro, is helping to make U.S. exports cheaper and thus more attractive to foreign buyers. Growth in exports has been one of the few bright spots for the U.S. economy, which has been pounded by housing, credit and financial crises.

Full Story: Trade deficit ebbs as exports rise to record high (AP)

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