The US trade deficit widened in February but less than analysts expected, government data showed on Thursday, a year since US President Donald Trump unleashed sweeping tariffs on virtually all trading partners.

The overall gap expanded 4.9 percent to US$57.3 billion as both imports and exports climbed, said the Commerce Department.

Turmoil over Trump's tariff agenda, however, looks set to continue swaying trade flows in the world's biggest economy.

The figures released on Thursday come as the US Supreme Court struck down a wide swathe of Trump's levies in late February.

Trump has since turned to different authorities to impose new, temporary 10-percent duties on imports, as his officials launch probes into dozens of countries with an eye on reinstating more lasting tariffs.

This foreshadows more uncertainty for trade in the months ahead.

For now, February's deficit was slightly less than the US$62 billion level expected in surveys of economists by Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal.

Exports climbed 4.2 percent to US$314.8 billion, boosted by goods such as non-monetary gold and natural gas.

US imports, too, jumped by 4.3 percent to US$372.1 billion, on the back of products like computers and semiconductors. (AFP)



Edited by Robert Kemp