The U.S. trade deficit widened significantly in December, as exports dropped 2.2% and imports rose 1.6%, official data showed on Thursday.
In a report, the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis said that the U.S. trade deficit widened to a seasonally adjusted USD38.7 billion in December from a deficit of USD34.56 billion in November, whose figure was revised from a previously reported deficit of USD34.25 billion. Analysts had expected the U.S. trade deficit to widen to USD36 billion in December.

U.S. exports fell 2.2% to USD191.29 billion in December, while imports rose 1.6% to USD229.99 billion.
Following the release of the data, the euro added to losses against the U.S. dollar, with EUR/USD shedding 0.31% to trade at 1.3491.

Meanwhile, the outlook for U.S. equity markets remained higher. The Dow Jones Industrial Average futures indicated a gain of 0.25% at the open, S&P 500 futures pointed to an increase of 0.2%, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a rise of 0.3%.