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. EDT FRIDAY, JUNE 8, 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



CB12-102, BEA12-23, FT-900 (12-04)

U.S. INTERNATIONAL TRADE IN GOODS AND SERVICES
April 2012


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 April exports of $182.9 billion and 
imports of $233.0 billion resulted in a goods and services 
deficit of $50.1 billion, down from $52.6 billion in March, 
revised.  April exports were $1.5 billion less than March 
exports of $184.4 billion.  April imports were $4.1 billion less 
than March imports of $237.1 billion.
    
    In April, the goods deficit decreased $2.7 billion from 
March to $64.8 billion, and the services surplus decreased 
$0.1 billion from March to $14.8 billion.  Exports of goods 
decreased $1.5 billion to $130.7 billion, and imports of goods 
decreased $4.1 billion to $195.5 billion.  Exports of services 
decreased $0.1 billion to $52.2 billion, and imports of services 
increased $0.1 billion to $37.5 billion.
    
    The goods and services deficit increased $6.5 billion from 
April 2011 to April 2012.  Exports were up $7.2 billion, or 4.1 
percent, and imports were up $13.8 billion, or 6.3 percent.
    
Goods (Census Basis)
    
    The March to April decrease in exports of goods reflected 
decreases in capital goods ($1.5 billion); industrial supplies 
and materials ($1.0 billion); and other goods ($0.6 billion). 
Increases occurred in foods, feeds, and beverages ($0.7 
billion); automotive vehicles, parts, and engines ($0.4 billion); 
and consumer goods ($0.2 billion). 
      
 
 

   The March to April decrease in imports of goods reflected 
decreases in capital goods ($2.0 billion); industrial supplies 
and materials ($0.6 billion); other goods ($0.5 billion); 
consumer goods ($0.5 billion); and automotive vehicles, parts, 
and engines ($0.4 billion). Foods, feeds, and beverages were 
virtually unchanged. 
   
   The April 2011 to April 2012 increase in exports of goods 
reflected increases in capital goods ($2.2 billion); automotive 
vehicles, parts, and engines ($1.7 billion); consumer goods 
($0.4 billion); other goods ($0.4 billion); and industrial 
supplies and materials ($0.2 billion). Foods, feeds, and 
beverages were virtually unchanged. 
   
   
   
   
   The April 2011 to April 2012 increase in imports of goods 
reflected increases in automotive vehicles, parts, and engines 
($5.1 billion); capital goods ($4.0 billion); industrial supplies 
and materials ($2.1 billion); other goods ($0.4 billion); and 
foods, feeds, and beverages ($0.3 billion).  A decrease 
occurred in consumer goods ($0.3 billion). 
    
Services

    Exports of services decreased $0.1 billion from March to 
April.  The decrease was more than accounted for by a 
decrease in other private services, which includes items such 
as business, professional, and technical services, insurance 
services, and financial services.  Changes in the other 
categories of services exports were small.
    
	Imports of services increased $0.1 billion from March to 
April.  The increase was more than accounted for by an 
increase in other private services. Changes in the other 
categories of services imports were small.
				
	The April 2011 to April 2012 increase in exports of 
services was $2.2 billion.  The largest increases were in travel 
($1.1 billion), passenger fares ($0.4 billion), and royalties and 
license fees ($0.3 billion).

	The April 2011 to April 2012 increase in imports of 
services was $2.4 billion.  The largest increases were in other 
private services ($0.8 billion), travel ($0.6 billion), and 
royalties and license fees ($0.5 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 April, exports of goods 
and services averaged $182.4 billion, while imports of goods 
and services averaged $231.8 billion, resulting in an average 
trade deficit of $49.4 billion.  For the three months ending in 
March, the average trade deficit was $50.3 billion, reflecting 
average exports of $181.0 billion and average imports of 
$231.3 billion.
 

Selected Not Seasonally Adjusted Goods Details
    
    The April figures show surpluses, in billions of dollars, 
with Hong Kong $3.3 ($3.0 for March), Australia $1.6 ($2.0), 
Singapore $0.7 ($0.9), and Egypt $0.2 ($0.2).  Deficits were 
recorded, in billions of dollars, with China $24.6 ($21.7), 
OPEC $11.5 ($9.1), European Union $8.7 ($9.8), Japan $6.3 
($7.1), Mexico $5.4 ($6.1), Germany $4.6 ($5.5), Canada $3.3 
($3.0), Venezuela $2.1 ($2.7), Ireland $1.9 ($2.1), Korea $1.8 
($0.6), Nigeria $1.7 ($1.0), and Taiwan $1.3 ($0.7). 
     
    
    
    

    Advanced technology products exports were $23.7 billion 
in April and imports were $30.3 billion, resulting in a deficit 
of $6.7 billion.  April exports were $4.2 billion less than the 
$27.9 billion in March, while April imports were $4.8 billion 
less than the $35.1 billion in March.
    
Revisions 
       
    Exports and imports of goods and services for all months 
through March 2012 shown in this release reflect the 
incorporation of annual revisions to the goods and services 
series.  See the Notice in this release for a additional 
information.

Census Basis (not seasonally adjusted)
    
    For March, exports of goods were revised up $0.1 billion 
and imports of goods were virtually unrevised.  Goods carry-
over in April was $0.1 billion (0.1 percent) for exports and 
$0.9 billion (0.5 percent) for imports.  For March, revised 
export carry-over was virtually zero.  For March, revised 
import carry-over was $0.1 billion (0.1 percent).

Balance of Payments Basis (seasonally adjusted)
    
    For March, exports of goods were revised down $0.5 
billion and imports of goods were revised down $0.6 billion.  
    
    For March, exports of services were revised down $1.8 
billion, reflecting downward revisions in other private 
services and royalties and license fees.  For March, imports of 
services were revised down $0.9 billion, reflecting a 
downward revision in other private services.     
             


NOTICE
In this news release and in the accompanying U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services: Annual 
Revision for 2011 release, the U.S. Census Bureau (Census) and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) 
are publishing revised statistics on both U.S. trade in goods and U.S. trade in services for January 2009 to 
March 2012.  The revised statistics will also appear in U.S International Transactions: First Quarter 2012 and 
in the annual revision of the U.S. international transactions accounts, both to be released by BEA on June 14, 
2012.
This annual revision has not changed the overall trend in the goods and services balance.  On an annual basis, 
the goods and services deficit was revised down 0.6 percent for 2009, was revised down 1.1 percent for 2010, 
and was virtually unrevised for 2011.  The goods deficit was revised down for 2009 and 2010 and up for 2011; 
the services surplus was revised up for all three years.  These revisions reflect newly available and revised 
source data and minor improvements to estimation methodologies.

Goods
Goods on a Census basis for 2011 were revised to 1) redistribute monthly data that arrived too late for inclusion 
in the month of transaction and were initially included in the month in which the data were received and 2) 
apply corrections to previously published 2011 statistics.  In addition, statistics for 2009-2011 were revised as a 
result of the reclassification of several commodities to end-use categories; these reclassifications were 
introduced in March 2012 beginning with the January 2012 statistics.  Seasonal and trading-day adjustments 
were then recalculated, and the seasonally adjusted current-dollar series were revised for January 2009 to March 
2012.
Census has revised the real chained-dollar series to 1) update selected seasonally adjusted export and import 
prices back to 2002 and 2) incorporate improved quality-adjusted price indexes for capital goods 
(telecommunications equipment) back to 2002.  The historical chained-dollar series were revised back to 1994 
because the reference year (2005) was revised.  These changes improve consistency between the Census 
chained-dollar data and the chained-dollar data published by BEA in the National Income and Product 
Accounts.  For related changes implemented by BEA, see Annual Revision of the National Income and 
Product Accounts in the August 2011 Survey of Current Business.
Balance of payments (BOP) adjustments  adjustments that BEA applies to goods on a Census basis to convert 
them to a BOP basis  for January 2009 to March 2012 were revised to introduce new adjustments to revalue 
exports and imports of recorded smart cards from media value to market value and to incorporate revised source 
data on other adjustments.  These adjustments are combined and presented as Net Adjustments in this release.  
Services
Services exports and imports for January 2009 to March 2012 were revised mostly as a result of newly available 
and revised source data, primarily from BEAs surveys of international services transactions.

















Table of Contents

Seasonally Adjusted

Exhibit 1
U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1
Exhibit 2
U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services Three-month Moving Averages . . . . . . .

2
Exhibit 3
U.S. Services by Major Category  Exports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

3
Exhibit 4
U.S. Services by Major Category  Imports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

4
Exhibit 5
U.S. Trade in Goods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

5
Exhibit 6
Exports and Imports of Goods by Principal End-Use Category . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

6
Exhibit 7
Exports of Goods by End-Use Category and Commodity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

7
Exhibit 8
Imports of Goods by End-Use Category and Commodity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

9
Exhibit 9
Exports, Imports, and Balance of Goods, Petroleum and Non-Petroleum End-Use 
Category Totals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


11
Exhibit 10
Real Exports and Imports of Goods by Principal End-Use Category - Chained (2005) 
Dollars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


12
Exhibit 11
Real Exports, Imports, and Balance of Goods, Petroleum and Non-Petroleum End-Use 
Commodity Category Totals - Chained (2005) Dollars  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


13

Not Seasonally Adjusted

Exhibit 12
U.S. Trade in Goods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

14
Exhibit 13
Exports and Imports of Goods by Principal End-Use Category . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

15
Exhibit 14
Exports, Imports, and Balance of Goods by Selected Countries and Areas . . . . . . . . . . . .

16
Exhibit 15
Exports and Imports of Goods by Principal SITC Commodities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

18
Exhibit 16
Exports, Imports, and Balance of Advanced Technology Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

20
Exhibit 16a
Exports, Imports, and Balance of Advanced Technology Products by Technology
Group and Selected Countries and Areas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


21
Exhibit 17
Imports of Energy-Related Petroleum Products, Including Crude Oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

22
Exhibit 18
Exports and Imports of Motor Vehicles and Parts by Selected Countries . . . . . . . . . . . . .

23
Information on Goods and Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
A-1








