The U.S. merchandise trade deficit widened to $134.9 billion in September

Due to an increase in imports, the U.S. goods trade deficit widened by 2.1% in September to $134.9 billion, exceeding economists' forecast of $130.2 billion. Last month's goods imports rose by $8.1 billion to $344.1 billion, while goods exports increased by $5.3 billion to $209.2 billion.

The AI investment boom has driven imports, and trade has not contributed to GDP growth for three consecutive quarters. Economists predict a year-on-year GDP growth rate of 3.2% for the third quarter.