Trade gap widens 15.1% in January

Source: MarketWatch

March 10, 2011, 10:33 a.m. EST

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) — The U.S. trade deficit widened sharply in January to the highest level since the summer, as a surge in imports overwhelmed record levels of exports.

The nation’s trade deficit expanded 15.1% in January to $46.3 billion from a revised $40.3 billion in December, the Commerce Department said.

This is the largest trade gap since June 2010 and also the biggest one-month worsening in the deficit since that same month. Read the full government report.

The widening of the deficit was much larger than expected. Analysts surveyed by MarketWatch had expected the deficit to widen to $41.5 billion from the initial estimate of a deficit of $40.6 billion in December. Read our economic calendar and forecasts.

The trade data, combined with a report on Chinese exports, raised concern among investors that the economy might be slowing.

Read more: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/us-trade-gap-widens-unexpected-151-2011-03-10?link=MW_related_stories

and the decreases in the number of union members.

This is problem number one for our country.

And Obama just signed another trade agreement with South Korea.

Do we still give tax benefits to companies that send jobs out of the U.S., too?

are up against the wall because of our trade agreements

I may as well go for broke:

Build a wall around the US. Protectionism good. Tarriffs good. US "consumers" ( not citizens ) will pay more: Tough shit. It's buying all that artificially cheap shit helps undermine the presence of a affluent working class that would in turn nourish the economy.

Oh, so some virtual companies with only corporate HQ's here may not be competitive. Good. Deep six 'em. Let them fail. Must even help them fail.

My tipping point has been effectively reached.

Slave labor is much more profitable for the corporations and by busting unions the greedy republican supporting corporations will have slave wages here for even more corporate profits.