The U.S. trade deficit narrowed slightly in September as goods exports rose to a four-month high.

The US trade deficit narrowed slightly in September, with goods exports rising to a four-month high. Data released by the Department of Commerce on Wednesday showed that the goods and services trade deficit narrowed by 0.7% from the previous month to $105.0 billion. The median estimate of economists surveyed by Bloomberg was a deficit of $107.9 billion. Due to factors such as tariffs, rising oil prices, and supply chain disruptions, monthly trade data unadjusted for inflation have fluctuated significantly. Exports increased by 1.9%, mainly driven by a rise in capital goods exports. Imports grew by 1.2%. Capital goods imports rose by $11.6 billion from the previous month, setting a new record. This category includes computers and accessories, semiconductors, and telecommunications equipment. US companies are making massive purchases of imported tech equipment to expand their artificial intelligence capabilities. Meanwhile, imports of industrial supplies, including oil and petroleum products, decreased by $3.7 billion from the previous month. The report showed that the number of barrels of crude oil imported by the US was lower than in the previous month. Exports of industrial supplies decreased by $1.0 billion.