Page "Balance of trade" Paragraph 17

Since the mid 1980s, the United States has had a growing deficit in tradeable goods, especially with Asian nations ( China and Japan ) which now hold large sums of U. S debt that has funded the consumption.

The U. S. has a trade surplus with nations such as Australia.

The issue of trade deficits can be complex.

Trade deficits generated in tradeable goods such as manufactured goods or software may impact domestic employment to different degrees than trade deficits in raw materials.