The purpose of this indicator is to provide information on the amount related to goods and estimated services traded between The United States and its international partners.
One thing to bear in mind is the lower bound value of 2,500 USD for goods, including costs related with export like freight, shipped either by individuals or organisations. Goods with values below this amount are not taken into consideration in the Foreign Trade report.
This data is widely used by investors for domestic and overseas market analysis and general business planning.
Federal agencies and other entities use the foreign trade data for economic, financial, and trade policy analysis. Increasing imbalance between the value of goods imported and exported may give rise to concerns in respect to the general shape of the US economy, and have a negative impact on the US dollar.
Periodicity of publication
Data on the foreign trade is reported on a monthly basis, 40 to 45 days after the reference period, by the United States Census Bureau.