WASHINGTON – The U.S. trade deficit climbed in October from its lowest monthly level in nearly three years. Imports of consumer goods such as medicine, cellphones and clothing increased, while exports of soybeans, gold and artwork tumbled–which fueled the monthly widening of the trade gap.

The Commerce Department said Tuesday that the deficit rose to $42.6 billion in October, up 17.8 percent from September. The $36.2 billion trade deficit in September was the lowest since December 2013.

Reducing the trade deficit has become a primary focus of President-elect Donald Trump. Trump cites the trade imbalance as evidence that the United States has to signed misguided trade agreements that have hurt U.S. economic growth and cost jobs.

In the wake of an agreement last week to keep 800 jobs at the Carrier furnace factory in Indianapolis from going to Mexico, Trump has promised to lower corporate tax rates to preserve factory jobs inside the United States, while threatening harsh penalties for companies that produce goods overseas to save on labor costs. On Twitter, Trump warned that he will impose a 35 percent tariff on the goods imported by companies that outsource production.

So far this year, the trade deficit is running 2.1 percent below its 2015 levels. The United States has been exporting more food but fewer industrial supplies, oilfield equipment, autos and consumer goods. But the country has also cut back on imports of steel, oil, aircraft, computer accessories and televisions, among other goods, leading to a narrowing of the overall trade deficit.

A larger trade deficit acts as a drag on growth because it means America is buying more from foreign countries than it is selling. But the pace of exports picked up during the July-September quarter, contributing a solid 1.2 percentage points to annualized growth of 3.2 percent during the quarter.

The goods trade deficit with China contracted to $31.1 billion in October and is running 6.2 percent below last year’s level, although it remains the leading contributor to America’s trade gap.

The deficit with the European Union rose 29.2 percent to $13.1 billion. The imbalance with Mexico climbed 18.1 percent to $6.2 billion.

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