Tag Archive: U.S. Trade Balance

The balance of trade, commercial balance, or net exports (sometimes symbolized as NX), is the difference between the monetary value of a nation’s exports and imports over a certain period. Sometimes a distinction is made between a balance of trade for goods versus one for services. If a country exports a greater value than it imports, it is called a trade surplus, positive balance, or a “favourable balance”, and conversely, if a country imports a greater value than it exports, it is called a trade deficit, negative balance, “unfavorable balance”, or, informally, a “trade gap”.