export

The gap was still higher than the $44 billion deficit economists had expected.

The deficit for January was revised up to $47.0 billion from $46.3 billion.

February exports were down $2.4 billion from the month prior, while February imports were down $3.6 billion.

Trade volumes are likely to be reduced further in March and April due to the parts shortages stemming from the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, as well as lower imports and

The trade deficit fell 2.6% in February to $45.8 billion, the Department of Commerce reported Tuesday, due in large part to a 4.4% drop in oil imports.

Some Japanese air- and seaports are still closed due to damage from the earthquake and tsunami, which is constricting the company's supply chain to North America.

The temporary job suspensions would affect about 1,100 of the factory's employees.

A Honda Motor Co (NYSE:HMC) factory in El Salto, Mexico may suspend half of its workforce as inventories run dry, local newspaper Reforma reported, citing a company spokesman.

The rise far out-stripped expectations for a January trade deficit of $41.5 billion. The increase was due to increased imports of petroleum products, automotive vehicles and parts, consumer goods, and capital goods, which reached

Both U.S.

The U.S. trade deficit widened an unexpectedly large 15.1% in January, to $46.3 billion from a revised $40.3 billion in December, according to the Commerce Department's monthly statement on the U.S.'s trade balance.

Front month March futures on New York's ICE exchange climbed to a high of $34.79 a pound, figures not seen since the early 1980s. In London, March white sugar was close to a recent record of $834.70 per ton.

One London trader said, ""Thirty-five cents is an important price as there's a lot of open interest in the options market--about 25,000 lots of call options.

"Sugar prices soared to a 30-year high on supply concerns following the massive cyclone that hit northern Queensland at midnight on Wednesday.

Stocks of companies engaged in rare earth mining are again on the move higher this morning after gaining in Tuesday's regular session following reports China reduced its rare earths export quotas by 11% in the first round of permi