US Trade Deficit $39.9 Billion in February

AutoInformed.com on the US Trade Deficit in February 2020

The smaller the trade deficit, the bigger the trouble we are in because of our lack of preparedness for COVID-19. Click to Enlarge.

The nation’s international trade deficit in goods and services decreased to $39.9 billion in February from $45.5 billion in January (revised of course), as imports decreased more than exports as the economy slowed down and consumers cut buying. However, Census doesn’t  have sufficient statistical* evidence to conclude that the actual change is different from zero.

March, given an economy in free-fall, will see a bigger decrease in the deficit, but that’s not good news. Roughly two-thirds of the US economy comes from consumer spending. Yesterday, the Labor Department reported that a record number of 6.6 million people applied for unemployment last week. During the last two weeks more than 10 million people in the US were out of work. That should take your breathe away – sadly, like Corona virus. 

 (*) The 90% confidence interval includes zero. The Census Bureau does not have sufficient statistical evidence to conclude that the actual change is different from zero.

 

About Ken Zino

Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn. He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe. Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap. AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks. Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
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