U.S. trade gap fell 15% to $51.1 billion in January

The U.S. trade deficit fell nearly 15% in January, as both imports fell and exports rose. Shipments of American goods to China fell to the lowest level in more than eight years as the two countries still find themselves locked in a trade war.

The Commerce Department said the gap between the goods and services that the United States sells and what it buys from other countries dropped by 14.6%  to $51.1 billion in January from $59.9 billion in December. Exports rose 0.9% to $207.3 billion, and imports dropped 2.6% to $258.5 billion. The deficit in the trade of goods with China narrowed by 6.4% to $34.5 billion. U.S. goods exports to China dropped 22.3% to $7.1 billion, lowest since September 2010; Chinese imports dropped 9.6% to $41.6 billion.