Current-account Deficit Rises Slightly To $100.3 Billion In Third Quarter

The U.S. current account deficit widened slightly to $100.3 billion in the third quarter from a revised $98.4 billion in the prior period, preliminary figures show. The increase stemmed from a bigger gap in secondary income and a lower surplus in services. Yet the trade deficit in goods fell to $182.1 billion in the third quarter from $189.3 billion in the second quarter, the Bureau of Economic Analysis said Wednesday. The deficit as a percentage of gross domestic product remained at 2.3%. It's down sharply from the peak of 6.5% of GDP at the end of 2005.