WASHINGTON, Feb 7 (Reuters) - The U.S. trade deficit
widened in December, reversing some of the prior month's sharp
contraction, as imports rebounded and exports declined further.
The trade deficit increased 10.5% to $67.4 billion, the
Commerce Department said on Tuesday. Data for November was
revised to show the trade gap narrowing to $61.0 billion instead
of $61.5 billion as previously reported. The trade deficit
widened to $948.1 billion in 2022 from $845.0 billion in 2021.
Imports increased 1.3% to $317.6 billion, with goods rising
1.8% to $258.8 billion. Exports fell 0.9% to $250.2 billion.
Goods shipments dropped 1.7% to $168.1 billion, mostly
reflecting a big decline in prices.
A smaller trade deficit was one of the contributors to the
economy's 2.9% annualized growth pace in the fourth quarter.
(Reporting By Lucia Mutikani; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)
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