us trade deficit expands to record

*DJ US Posts $66.11B Sep Trade Deficit; Consensus $61.20B

(MORE TO FOLLOW) Dow Jones Newswires
November 10, 2005 08:30 ET (13:30 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2005 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
*DJ Aug Trade Gap Revised To $59.35B From $59.03B

(MORE TO FOLLOW) Dow Jones Newswires
November 10, 2005 08:30 ET (13:30 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2005 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
*DJ Sep Exports $105.21 Bln, -2.6%; Imports $171.31B, +2.4%

(MORE TO FOLLOW) Dow Jones Newswires
November 10, 2005 08:30 ET (13:30 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2005 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
=DJ DATA SNAP: US Sep Trade Deficit Expands To Record
======================================================!
International Trade !Consensus: !
Sep Aug ! $61.20 Bln !
Deficit: $66.11B $59.35Br ! !
Exports: $105.21B $108.00Br !Actual: !
Imports: $171.31B $167.35Br ! $66.11 Bln !
======================================================!

By Jeff Bater
Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES

WASHINGTON (Dow Jones)--The U.S. trade imbalance ballooned 11% during September, setting a record as sales of civilian aircraft plunged while purchases of natural gas and consumer goods climbed.
The U.S. deficit in international trade of goods and services widened to $66.11 billion from a revised $59.35 billion in August, the Commerce Department reported Thursday. The August shortfall was previously estimated at $59.03 billion.
Exports fell 2.6%, while imports rose 2.4%, pushing the September trade gap way above expectations. A Dow Jones-CNBC survey of 22 economists had forecast a deficit of $61.20 billion.
Imports overall increased to $171.31 billion during September from $167.35 billion, Commerce said. Purchases of industrial materials from overseas climbed $2.73 billion, driven by natural gas and fuel oil. Imports of capital goods like civilian aircraft and excavating machinery rose $297 million. Consumer goods imports - including televisions and clothing - climbed $873 million. Imported foods, feeds and beverages were up $233 million.
Autos and parts purchases were down $729 million.
The average price of a barrel of crude climbed $4.67 to a record $57.32 from $52.65. But the volume of crude oil imports decreased to its lowest since February 2003, down to 278.45 million barrels for the month from 325.81 million. The value of imported crude fell to $15.96 billion from $17.16 billion. In all, the nation bought $23.18 billion of total energy-related petroleum products from international sources during September, virtually the same price tag as in August.
Exports declined to $105.21 billion in September from $108.00 billion.
Sales of capital goods such as civilian aircraft and oilfield equipment fell by $2.33 billion. Analysts expected softer aircraft exports due to a strike at Boeing Co. (BA) in September. A four-week walkout by union machinists delayed commercial aircraft deliveries.
Overseas sales of industrial supplies like organic chemicals and fuel oil dropped $1.18 billion. Sales of American-made consumer goods, like pharmaceutical preparations, rose $392 million. Exports of autos and parts went up by $4 million.
Exports of foods, feeds, and beverages fell by $296 million.
As for the hurricanes, economists had expected distortions in the trade data because Katrina and Rita closed Gulf Coast ports. Still, disrupted shipping may simply have been rerouted to ports in quieter waters, they said.
Deficits with major trading partners were mixed in September, Commerce said.
The shortfall with China increased to a record $20.11 billion from $18.47 billion.
The deficit with Japan contracted, down to $6.41 billion from $6.59 billion. The trade gap with the euro area decreased to $7.24 billion from $8.78 billion. The deficit with Canada widened to $7.39 billion from $6.61 billion. The shortfall with Mexico rose to $4.31 billion from $4.22 billion.