The U.S. trade deficit fell 3.8% to $48.7 billion in May, helped by cheaper oil and an increase in American exports to Europe and China. But economists cautioned that decline wasn't enough to alter weak growth forecasts for the quarter.
The U.S. trade deficit shrunk in April, but only because a big drop in imports offset the first decline in U.S. exports in five months. Exports, which had hit a record the previous month, fell 0.8%, but imports, which also set a record in March, dropped an even faster 1.7%.
Chinese New Year kicked off on Monday, and the celebration of the new lunar cycle will effect you than you might think. When the country that manufactures so much of what we buy goes on vacation for two weeks, U.S. retail can hardly act like it's business as usual.