U.K. Trade Deficit Widens to Record as Imports Surge 3.8%

The U.K. trade deficit on goods widened to a record in September as imports of chemicals and oil increased and exports barely rose.

The goods-trade gap grew to 9.81 billion pounds ($15.8 billion), the most since the data series began in 1998, from 8.62 billion pounds in August, the Office for National Statistics said today in London. The August deficit was revised from an initially reported 7.77 billion pounds. Imports increased 3.8 percent to a record and exports rose 0.2 percent.