Trade Deficit Surges

U.S. Trade Imbalance Increases 6 Percent As Oil Imports Hit Record High

(CBS/AP)  America's trade deficit increased sharply in June as surging oil prices pushed petroleum imports to an all-time high. The politically sensitive deficit with China also set a record.

The Commerce Department reported that the imbalance between what America sells abroad and what it imports rose to $58.8 billion in June, an increase of 6.1 percent from the May deficit of $55.4 billion.

So far this year, the trade deficit is running at an annual rate of $686 billion, 11 percent higher than last year's all-time record of $617.6 billion. The trade performance has presented President George W. Bush with a political headache as critics have charged that the soaring imbalance represents the failure of the administration's free trade policies.

The June deficit came as U.S. exports of goods and services rose by $52 million to a record of $106.8 billion, reflecting higher sales of telecommunications equipment, aircraft engines and chemical fertilizers.

Imports, however, rose a much larger $3.44 billion to also set a record at $165.7 billion, reflecting an increase in both the price and volume of petroleum shipments and higher imports of toys, clothing and other consumer goods.

More than half of the trade deterioration in June reflected America's surging foreign oil bill, which hit a record high of $19.9 billion, an increase of 9.8 percent from the May level. Analysts say that figure will rise even higher in coming months, reflecting a continued surge in global oil prices, which set a new record of $66 per barrel on Thursday.

With bullish sentiment unabated and crude prices hitting five consecutive highs in just as many days this week, analysts expect front-month crude contracts to test the $70 a barrel threshold.

Drivers are likely to see the price of gas raise, and airlines are hiking fares to combat the rising oil prices. CBS' Stacy Tisdale reports that carriers including United, Delta, U.S. Airways and American will raise fares on domestic flights by $10 to $20 per round trip.

The average price of a barrel of imported crude oil jumped to $44.40 in June, the second highest monthly average for imports on record, exceeded only by a $44.76 average in April.