Trade · Wednesday, October 7, 2026
America's trade gap widens to $105.6 billion in August as imports jump
The File desk · Oct 7, 2026, 10:50 AM UTC
Status
Confirmed. Joint Census Bureau and Bureau of Economic Analysis release BEA 26—44 / CB 26—160, embargoed until 8:30 a.m. Eastern on Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026. The release does not say why imports jumped.
- Confirmed
The goods and services deficit was $105.6 billion in August, up $12.7 billion from $92.8 billion in July, revised. Exports were $315.2 billion. Imports were $420.8 billion.
- Confirmed
For the year so far, the deficit is $138.2 billion smaller than in the same months of 2025, a drop of 19.9 percent.
Americans bought much more from abroad in August. The trade gap, what the country spends on foreign goods and services minus what it sells, grew to $105.6 billion. That is $12.7 billion wider than July. Imports rose $17.2 billion, to $420.8 billion. Exports rose too, but only $4.5 billion, to $315.2 billion. For the year so far, the gap is still $138.2 billion smaller than at this point in 2025, a drop of 19.9 percent.
The Census Bureau and the Bureau of Economic Analysis posted the August report at 8:30 a.m. Eastern on Tuesday. The release number is BEA 26—44 / CB 26—160.
Goods and services are different piles. The goods gap, the shortfall on physical products, grew $12.8 billion, to $136.6 billion. The services surplus, where the United States sells more than it buys in things such as travel and payments for using ideas, barely moved. It rose by less than $0.1 billion, to $31.0 billion.
Goods imports rose $17.2 billion, to $342.2 billion. Industrial supplies and materials rose $9.1 billion, including crude oil up $3.3 billion and nonmonetary gold up $3.1 billion. Capital goods, the equipment businesses buy, rose $6.2 billion. Semiconductors were up $2.4 billion. Other industrial machinery was up $1.3 billion. Computer accessories fell $1.6 billion.
Goods exports rose $4.4 billion, to $205.7 billion. Industrial supplies rose $6.3 billion, including gold up $2.3 billion, crude oil up $2.0 billion, and fuel oil up $1.2 billion. Capital goods rose $1.3 billion, with chips up $1.0 billion and computers up $0.9 billion. Civilian aircraft fell $1.0 billion. Consumer goods fell $2.2 billion, led by pharmaceutical preparations down $2.4 billion.
When the bureau builds gross domestic product, it replaces gold imports and exports with an adjustment, so those gold swings do not pass straight into the growth figure.
Adjusted for prices, on the Census measure, the real goods gap rose 8.2 percent, to $114.7 billion. Before that price adjustment, the nominal goods gap rose 11.1 percent.
Over June, July, and August, the gap averaged $89.9 billion, up $9.9 billion from the prior three-month average. That average is $25.4 billion larger than the same three months of 2025.
On goods, the largest deficits were with Mexico ($27.7 billion), Vietnam ($24.0 billion), Taiwan ($18.3 billion), China ($16.4 billion), and the European Union ($11.0 billion). The deficit with Canada grew $4.1 billion, to $7.1 billion. The largest surplus was with the Netherlands, $7.7 billion.
The File’s July story printed a gap of $88.6 billion. Tuesday’s release revised July to $92.8 billion. July goods imports were revised up $4.4 billion.
The next trade report, for September, is Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026. The release does not say why August imports jumped.
What is still unknown or disputed
- Why imports jumped. The release gives no reason.
- How this feeds the third-quarter growth estimate due Oct. 29.
Primary sources
Every claim in this story is drawn from the documents below. If a fetch failed, that is recorded on the card.
Source 1
U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services, August 2026
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis and U.S. Census Bureau · October 6, 2026
The goods and services deficit was $105.6 billion in August, up $12.7 billion from $92.8 billion in July, revised.
https://www.bea.gov/news/2026/us-international-trade-goods-and-services-august-2026
Source 2
July trade gap widens to $88.6 billion as imports rise and exports fall
The File · September 4, 2026
The goods and services deficit was $88.6 billion in July, up $17.4 billion from a revised $71.2 billion in June.
/story/bea-trade-deficit-july-2026