U.S. Exports Decline in Sign of Global Slowdown: Economy

In one of the first signs that a global slowdown will limit how fast the world’s largest economy will grow, the trade deficit in the U.S. widened in September as exports slumped from a record.

The gap grew by 7.6 percent to $43 billion, the biggest since May, from $40 billion in August, Commerce Department figures showed today in Washington. The decrease in international sales was broad-based, with customers in Europe, Latin America and Japan all pulling back.