U.S. Census Bureau
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis
NEWS
U.S. Department of Commerce * Washington, DC 20230


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
8:30 A.M. EST FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012

For information on goods contact:

U.S. Census Bureau:

Matthew Przybocki
301-763-3148

Maria Iseman
301-763-2311

For information on services contact:

U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis:

Technical:Edward Dozier
202-606-9559

Media:Ralph Stewart
202-606-2649



CB12-27, BEA12-04, FT-900 (11-12)

U.S. INTERNATIONAL TRADE IN GOODS AND SERVICES
December 2011




Goods and Services
    
    The U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Bureau of 
Economic Analysis, through the Department of Commerce, 
announced today that total December exports of $178.8 billion 
and imports of $227.6 billion resulted in a goods and services 
deficit of $48.8 billion, up from $47.1 billion in November, 
revised.  December exports were $1.2 billion more than 
November exports of $177.5 billion.  December imports were 
$3.0 billion more than November imports of $224.6 billion.
    
    In December, the goods deficit increased $1.8 billion 
from November to $64.3 billion, and the services surplus was 
virtually unchanged from November at $15.5 billion.  Exports 
of goods increased $0.9 billion to $127.1 billion, and imports 
of goods increased $2.7 billion to $191.4 billion.  Exports of 
services increased $0.3 billion to $51.7 billion, and imports of 
services increased $0.3 billion to $36.2 billion.
    
    The goods and services deficit increased $8.3 billion from 
December 2010 to December 2011.  Exports were up $14.8 
billion, or 9.0 percent, and imports were up $23.1 billion, or 
11.3 percent.
    
Goods (Census Basis)
    
    The November to December increase in exports of goods 
reflected increases in industrial supplies and materials ($1.0 
billion); automotive vehicles, parts, and engines ($0.7 billion); 
other goods ($0.3 billion); and foods, feeds, and beverages  
  

 
($0.2 billion). Decreases occurred in consumer goods ($1.0 
billion) and capital goods ($0.2 billion).

   The November to December increase in imports of goods 
reflected increases in capital goods ($1.0 billion); consumer 
goods ($0.9 billion); automotive vehicles, parts, and engines 
($0.5 billion); and industrial supplies and materials ($0.3 
billion). A decrease occurred in foods, feeds, and beverages 
($0.1 billion). Other goods were virtually unchanged.
   
   The December 2010 to December 2011 increase in exports 
of goods reflected increases in industrial supplies and 
materials ($6.0 billion); capital goods ($2.2 billion); 
automotive vehicles, parts, and engines ($1.8 billion); 
consumer goods ($0.1 billion); other goods ($0.1 billion); and 
foods, feeds, and beverages ($0.1 billion).  
   
   
   
   
   
   The December 2010 to December 2011 increase in 
imports of goods reflected increases in industrial supplies and 
materials ($9.2 billion); capital goods ($4.7 billion); 
automotive vehicles, parts, and engines ($3.1 billion); 
consumer goods ($2.1 billion); foods, feeds, and beverages 
($1.1 billion); and other goods ($0.3 billion).
    
Services

    Exports of services increased $0.3 billion from November 
to December.  The increase was mostly accounted for by 
increases in royalties and license fees and travel.  Changes in 
the other categories of services exports were small.
    
	Imports of services increased $0.3 billion from November 
to December.  The increase was mostly accounted for by 
increases in travel, other transportation (which includes 
freight and port services), and passenger fares.  Changes in 
the other categories of services imports were small.
				
	The December 2010 to December 2011 increase in exports 
of services was $4.0 billion. The largest increases were in 
royalties and license fees ($1.5 billion), travel ($0.9 billion), 
and other private services ($0.8 billion), which includes items 
such as business, professional, and technical services, 
insurance services, and financial services.  Within other 
private services the largest increase was in business, 
professional, and technical services.

	The December 2010 to December 2011 increase in 
imports of services was $2.4 billion. The largest increases 
were in other private services ($1.1 billion), travel ($0.4 
billion), and other transportation ($0.4 billion).  Within other 
private services the largest increase was in business, 
professional, and technical services.
    
Goods and Services Moving Average

    For the three months ending in December, exports of 
goods and services averaged $178.5 billion, while imports of 
goods and services averaged $224.8 billion, resulting in an 
average trade deficit of $46.3 billion.  For the three months 
ending in November, the average trade deficit was $44.6 
billion, reflecting average exports of $179.1 billion and 
average imports of $223.8 billion.
 

Selected Not Seasonally Adjusted Goods Details
    
    The December figures show surpluses, in billions of 
dollars, with Hong Kong $2.5 ($3.2 for November), Australia 
$1.7 ($1.5), Singapore $1.3 ($1.0), and Egypt $0.2 ($0.1). 
Deficits were recorded, in billions of dollars, with China $23.1 
($26.9), European Union $9.6 ($9.7), OPEC $9.1 ($9.1), Japan 
$6.5 ($6.2), Mexico $4.9 ($5.5), Germany $4.8 ($4.7), Canada 
$3.9 ($3.0), Ireland $2.8 ($2.8), Venezuela $2.0 ($1.9),   
 Nigeria $1.3 ($2.3), Taiwan $0.8 ($1.4), and Korea $0.5 
($1.3). 
    
    Advanced technology products exports were $26.2 billion 
in December and imports were $34.2 billion, resulting in a 
deficit of $8.0 billion.  December exports were $1.3 billion 
more than the $24.9 billion in November, while December 
imports were $1.5 billion less than the $35.7 billion in 
November.
    
Revisions  

    The seasonally adjusted goods data, on both a Census 
basis and a balance of payments basis, for January through 
November were revised to align the seasonally adjusted 
months with the annual totals.
   
Census Basis (not seasonally adjusted)
    
    For November, exports of goods were revised down $0.3 
billion and imports of goods were revised down $0.7 billion. 
Goods carry-over in December was $0.1 billion (0.0 percent) 
for exports and $0.9 billion (0.5 percent) for imports.  For 
November, revised export carry-over was virtually zero. For 
November, revised import carry-over was $0.2 billion (0.1 
percent).

Balance of Payments Basis (seasonally adjusted)
    
    For November, exports of goods were revised down $0.4 
billion and imports of goods were revised down $1.1 billion.
    
    For November, both exports and imports of services were 
revised up $0.1 billion, reflecting upward revisions in 
passenger fares and travel.


Annual Summary for 2011

Goods and Services

	For 2011, exports of $2,103.1 billion and imports of 
$2,661.1 billion resulted in a goods and services deficit of 
$558.0 billion, $58.0 billion more than the 2010 deficit of 
$500.0 billion.  For goods, exports were $1,498.2 billion and 
imports were $2,235.3 billion, resulting in a goods deficit of 
$737.1 billion, $91.2 billion more than the 2010 deficit of 
$645.9 billion.  For services, exports were $604.9 billion and 
imports were $425.9 billion, resulting in a services surplus of 
$179.0 billion, $33.2 billion more than the 2010 surplus of 
$145.8 billion.

	The goods and services deficit was $558.0 billion in 2011, 
up from $500.0 billion in 2010.  As a percentage of U.S. gross 
domestic product, the goods and services deficit was 3.7 
percent in 2011, up from 3.4 percent in 2010.

Goods (Census basis)

	For 2011, exports of goods were up $202.4 billion from 
2010.  Increases occurred in industrial supplies and materials 
($107.7 billion); capital goods ($44.8 billion); automotive 
vehicles, parts, and engines ($20.5 billion); foods, feeds, and 
beverages ($18.4 billion); consumer goods ($10.4 billion); and 
other goods ($0.5 billion).

	For 2011, imports of goods were up $293.8 billion from 
2010.  Increases occurred in industrial supplies and materials 
($153.7 billion); capital goods ($61.8 billion); consumer 
goods ($30.4 billion); automotive vehicles, parts, and engines 
($29.0 billion); foods, feeds, and beverages ($15.7 billion); 
and other goods ($3.2 billion). 
 
Services

    For 2011, exports of services were $604.9 billion, up 
$56.0 billion from 2010.  Increases occurred in other private 
services ($20.8 billion), which includes items such as 
business, professional, and technical services, insurance 
services, and financial services, royalties and license fees 
($14.2 billion), travel ($12.2 billion), passenger fares ($5.8 
billion), other transportation ($2.6 billion), which includes 
freight and port services, and transfers under U.S. military 
sales contracts ($0.3 billion).  Within other private services 
the largest increase was in business, professional, and 
technical services.   U.S. government miscellaneous services 
were virtually unchanged.   
 
    

For 2011, imports of services were $425.9 billion, up 
$22.8 billion from 2010.  Increases occurred in other private 
services ($10.3 billion), passenger fares ($3.9 billion), travel 
($3.8 billion), other transportation ($3.5 billion), and royalties 
and license fees ($2.2 billion).  Within other private services 
the largest increase was in business, professional, and 
technical services.  Decreases occurred in direct defense 
expenditures ($0.6 billion) and U.S. government miscellaneous 
services ($0.2 billion).  
    
    For detailed descriptions of the types of transactions 
included in each of the services categories, see "Information 
on Goods and Services" starting on page A-1 of this release.
    

NOTICE

Effective with the release of the January 2012 statistics on March 9, 2012, the U.S. Census Bureau (Census) and 
the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) will implement the following changes:

Changes to the Real (Chain-Weighted Dollar) Series

Census will begin seasonally adjusting selected export and import prices that previously were not seasonally 
adjusted.  These prices are used in calculating the chain-weighted dollar series that are presented in Exhibits 10 
and 11.  Chain-weighted dollar statistics for 2010 and 2011 will be revised to reflect this new procedure.

This change will improve the overall quality of the chain-weighted dollar series by removing identified seasonal 
patterns.  This change also improves consistency between the Census chain-weighted dollar data and the chain-
weighted dollar data published by BEA in the National Income and Product Accounts.  For information on 
recent changes to BEA's seasonal adjustment procedures, see "Annual Revision of the National Income and 
Product Accounts" in the August 2011 Survey of Current Business, p. 27.
If you have any questions or need additional information, please contact the Special Projects Branch of the U.S. 
Census Bureau's Foreign Trade Division on (301) 763-3251 or at ftd.data.dissemination@census.gov.
Changes to Countries Featured in Exhibit 18 and in Supplemental Exhibit 3

Census and BEA will change the countries that are featured in Exhibit 18 and in Supplemental Exhibit 3 in 
order to reflect a more comprehensive picture of current U.S. trade in motor vehicles and parts and in crude oil, 
respectively.  The general structure of these exhibits will remain unchanged.

For examples of the updated exhibits in Excel format, go to http://www.census.gov/foreign-
trade/statistics/notices/20120210_exh18_exh3s.html.

If you have any questions or need additional information, please contact the Data Dissemination Branch of the 
U.S. Census Bureau's Foreign Trade Division on (800) 549-0595, option 4, or at 
ftd.data.dissemination@census.gov.

Changes to End-Use Commodity Category Descriptions

Census and BEA will change the descriptions of four end-use commodity categories within consumer goods in 
order to better reflect the composition of these categories as well as changes in technology.  These changes, 
listed below, will appear in Exhibits 7 and 8.

       Current Description			New Description

TV's, VCR's, etc.			Televisions and video equipment
Writing and art supplies 		Other consumer nondurables
Other household goods			Cell phones and other household goods, n.e.c.
Records, tapes, and disks	 	Recorded media

If you have any questions or need additional information, please contact the Data Dissemination Branch of the 
U.S. Census Bureau's Foreign Trade Division on (800) 549-0595, option 4, or at 
ftd.data.dissemination@census.gov.



Table of Contents

Seasonally Adjusted

Exhibit 1	U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services
Exhibit 2	U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services Three-month Moving Averages
Exhibit 3	U.S. Services by Major Category - Exports 
Exhibit 4	U.S. Services by Major Category - Imports 
Exhibit 5	U.S. Trade in Goods 
Exhibit 6	Exports and Imports of Goods by Principal End-Use Category 
Exhibit 7	Exports of Goods by End-Use Category and Commodity 
Exhibit 8	Imports of Goods by End-Use Category and Commodity 
Exhibit 9	Exports, Imports, and Balance of Goods, Petroleum and Non-Petroleum End-Use 
Category Totals 
Exhibit 10	Real Exports and Imports of Goods by Principal End-Use Category (2005 Chain-
weighted dollars) 
Exhibit 11	Real Exports, Imports, and Balance of Goods, Petroleum and Non-Petroleum End-Use 
Commodity Category Totals (2005 Chain-weighted dollars) 

Not Seasonally Adjusted

Exhibit 12	U.S. Trade in Goods
Exhibit 13	Exports and Imports of Goods by Principal End-Use Category
Exhibit 14	Exports, Imports, and Balance of Goods by Selected Countries and Areas
Exhibit 15	Exports and Imports of Goods by Principal SITC Commodities 
Exhibit 16	Exports, Imports, and Balance of Advanced Technology Products 
Exhibit 16a	Exports, Imports, and Balance of Advanced Technology Products by Technology
Group and Selected Countries and Areas 
Exhibit 17	Imports of Energy-Related Petroleum Products, Including Crude Oil
Exhibit 18	Exports and Imports of Motor Vehicles and Parts by Selected Countries 
Information on Goods and Services 







