U.S. Trade Report for August 2026 Shows Goods and Services Balance

The U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis have released their latest report on international trade, revealing that the goods and services deficit in the United States has surged to 5.6 billion in August, reflecting a notable increase of .7 billion from July’s revised figure of .8 billion. This significant uptick underscores ongoing fluctuations in the import-export landscape of the nation’s economy.

In terms of specific trade figures, August exports reached 5.2 billion, which marks an increase of .5 billion compared to the previous month. Conversely, imports rose dramatically to 0.8 billion, up by .2 billion from July. The increasing trade deficit is attributed to a .8 billion increase in the goods deficit, amounting to 6.6 billion, while the services surplus saw a marginal escalation of less than [or_text model=”openai/gpt-4o-mini” prompt=”Rewrite the following article for WirePaw in the professional, objective style of a top newspaper like the NY Times. Expand to at least 350 words. Requirements: SEO-friendly and plagiarism-free. Replace any mention of the original source with ‘a media source’. Do not mention the author. Do not include quotation marks, markdown, or any code in the output. At the very end of the article, on a new line, output only the most relevant tags from this exact list as hashtags: #business #politics #entertainment #technology #environment. Only include tags that apply. Example output: #business #technology. Article:

The U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis announced today that the goods and services deficit was $105.6 billion in August, up $12.7 billion from $92.8 billion in July, revised.

Exports, Imports, and Balance (exhibit 1)

August exports were $315.2 billion, $4.5 billion more than July exports. August imports were $420.8 billion, $17.2 billion more than July imports.

The August increase in the goods and services deficit reflected an increase in the goods deficit of $12.8 billion to $136.6 billion and an increase in the services surplus of less than $0.1 billion to $31.0 billion.

Year-to-date, the goods and services deficit decreased $138.2 billion, or 19.9 percent, from the same period in 2025. Exports increased $267.7 billion or 11.8 percent. Imports increased $129.5 billion or 4.4 percent.

Three-Month Moving Averages (exhibit 2)

The average goods and services deficit increased $9.9 billion to $89.9 billion for the three months ending in August.

• Average exports decreased $1.6 billion to $314.4 billion in August.
• Average imports increased $8.3 billion to $404.3 billion in August.

Year-over-year, the average goods and services deficit increased $25.4 billion from the three months ending in August 2025.

• Average exports increased $31.1 billion from August 2025.
• Average imports increased $56.5 billion from August 2025.

Exports (exhibits 3, 6, and 7)

Exports of goods increased $4.4 billion to $205.7 billion in August.

  Exports of goods on a Census basis increased $4.2 billion.

• Industrial supplies and materials increased $6.3 billion.
  • Nonmonetary gold increased $2.3 billion.
  • Crude oil increased $2.0 billion.
  • Fuel oil increased $1.2 billion.
• Capital goods increased $1.3 billion.
  • Semiconductors increased $1.0 billion.
  • Computers increased $0.9 billion.
  • Computer accessories increased $0.9 billion.
  • Civilian aircraft decreased $1.0 billion.
• Consumer goods decreased $2.2 billion.
  • Pharmaceutical preparations decreased $2.4 billion.

  Net balance of payments adjustments increased $0.3 billion.

Exports of services increased less than $0.1 billion to $109.5 billion in August.

• Charges for the use of intellectual property increased $0.2 billion.
• Other business services increased $0.1 billion.
• Travel decreased $0.2 billion.
• Financial services decreased $0.1 billion.

Imports (exhibits 4, 6, and 8)

Imports of goods increased $17.2 billion to $342.2 billion in August.

  Imports of goods on a Census basis increased $17.4 billion.

• Industrial supplies and materials increased $9.1 billion.
  • Crude oil increased $3.3 billion.
  • Nonmonetary gold increased $3.1 billion.
• Capital goods increased $6.2 billion.
  • Semiconductors increased $2.4 billion.
  • Other industrial machinery increased $1.3 billion.
  • Computer accessories decreased $1.6 billion.

  Net balance of payments adjustments decreased $0.2 billion.

Imports of services increased less than $0.1 billion to $78.5 billion in August.

• Transport increased $0.4 billion.
• Charges for the use of intellectual property decreased $0.2 billion.
• Travel decreased $0.1 billion.

Real Goods in 2017 Dollars – Census Basis (exhibit 11)

The real goods deficit increased $8.7 billion, or 8.2 percent, to $114.7 billion in August, compared to an 11.1 percent increase in the nominal deficit.

• Real exports of goods increased $1.9 billion, or 1.3 percent, to $153.0 billion, compared to a 2.1 percent increase in nominal exports.
• Real imports of goods increased $10.7 billion, or 4.1 percent, to $267.7 billion, compared to a 5.4 percent increase in nominal imports.

Revisions

Revisions to July exports

• Exports of goods were revised up $0.2 billion.
• Exports of services were revised down $0.2 billion.

Revisions to July imports

• Imports of goods were revised up $4.4 billion.
• Imports of services were revised down $0.2 billion.

Goods by Selected Countries and Areas: Monthly – Census Basis (exhibit 19)

The August figures show surpluses, in billions of dollars, with Netherlands ($7.7), South and Central America ($5.6), United Kingdom ($3.6), Hong Kong ($2.3), Brazil ($1.3), Belgium ($1.2), Australia ($0.6), and Saudi Arabia ($0.4). Deficits were recorded, in billions of dollars, with Mexico ($27.7), Vietnam ($24.0), Taiwan ($18.3), China ($16.4), European Union ($11.0), South Korea ($9.4), Canada ($7.1), India ($6.2), Germany ($6.2), Malaysia ($6.0), Italy ($4.3), Japan ($3.7), Ireland ($2.5), France ($1.4), Israel ($0.8), Switzerland ($0.4), and Singapore ($0.3).

• The deficit with Canada increased $4.1 billion to $7.1 billion in August. Exports increased $0.5 billion to $29.9 billion and imports increased $4.6 billion to $37.1 billion.
• The balance with Singapore shifted from a surplus of $1.9 billion in July to a deficit of $0.3 billion in August. Exports decreased $1.1 billion to $3.7 billion and imports increased $1.2 billion to $4.0 billion.
• The deficit with Ireland decreased $1.5 billion to $2.5 billion in August. Exports increased $0.1 billion to $1.7 billion and imports decreased $1.4 billion to $4.2 billion.

All statistics referenced are seasonally adjusted; statistics are on a balance of payments basis unless otherwise specified. Additional statistics, including not seasonally adjusted statistics and details for goods on a Census basis, are available in exhibits 1-20b of this release. For information on data sources, definitions, and revision procedures, see the explanatory notes in this release. The full release can be found at www.census.gov/foreign-trade/Press-Release/current_press_release/index.html or www.bea.gov/data/intl-trade-investment/international-trade-goods-and-services. The full schedule is available in the Census Bureau’s Economic Briefing Room at www.census.gov/economic-indicators/ or on BEA’s website at www.bea.gov/news/schedule.

Next release: November 4, 2026
U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services, September 2026

“].1 billion, totaling .0 billion.

Year-to-date data indicates a decrease in the goods and services deficit of 8.2 billion, or approximately 19.9 percent, compared to the same timeframe in 2025. Exports have climbed by 7.7 billion, an increase of 11.8 percent, while imports have risen by 9.5 billion, reflecting a 4.4 percent growth.

The average goods and services deficit over the three months ending in August has also risen by .9 billion, settling at .9 billion. In more granular detail, average exports for this period fell by .6 billion to 4.4 billion, whereas average imports escalated by .3 billion to 4.3 billion.

A closer examination of goods trade reveals that the export of goods saw a substantial increase of .4 billion, primarily driven by industrial supplies and materials, including a .3 billion rise attributable to nonmonetary gold and crude oil.

On the import side, there was a .2 billion increase in goods, particularly in industrial supplies and materials. The surge in crude oil imports added .3 billion to the total, reflecting changing energy dynamics in the international market.

As international trade policy continues to evolve, these figures present a crucial insight into the economic health of the United States, highlighting both challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for policymakers and businesses alike.

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