Behind the Strong U.S. Export Numbers
Capital goods, aircraft showed gains
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The latest U.S. trade figures (PDF) showed a surprising surge in non-oil imports in March, a sign that American consumers are spending more. Just as surprising—and more encouraging from the U.S. point of view—was the 2.9 percent growth in exports, to $186.7 billion for the month. That’s the highest value of U.S. exports ever. “The export numbers are encouraging,” says Millan Mulraine, senior U.S. strategist for TD Securities in New York. “They show that global activity is stronger than we thought and demand is better than expected.”
Here are five areas that are playing a role in the export expansion: