Dow Futures Up 40 Pts.; March Trade Deficit Smaller Than Expected

The U.S.’s trade deficit widened in March to $40.4 from $39.4 billion in February, slightly under the $40.5 billion deficit economists had been forecasting, the U.S. Department of Commerce reported this morning.

Exports were up $4.6 billion, while imports rose by $5.6 billion, an expansion of 3.2% for exports versus 3% for imports. The deficit was up $11.6 billion from the year-earlier period.

Dow Industrial futures were up 40 points at 10, 749 for the June contract, while S&P 500 futures were up 6 points at 1,158.20.

The U.S. dollar strengthened overnight to $1.2676 per Euro from last night’s closing cross of $1.2683.

June futures contracts for light sweet crude oil, however, saw prices dip 2 cents to $76.35 per barrel.