U.S. Nov trade gap shrinks on record import plunge

By Doug Palmer

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. trade deficit shrank nearly 29 percent in November, the largest amount in 12 years, as weak consumer demand and plummeting oil prices caused imports to sink by a record amount.

The $40.4 billion trade gap was the lowest since November 2003, the Commerce Department said in its monthly report on Tuesday, and another sign of how the global financial crisis has damaged world commerce.

Both U.S. imports and exports declined for the fourth consecutive month after hitting record peaks in July.

"It really says the wolf is at the door. Americans aren't buying anything," said Ed Gresser, director of the Progressive Policy Institute's trade office. "The problem isn't competition, but lack of demand for anybody's product."

The much smaller-than-expected deficit could trim slightly estimates of how much the U.S. economy contracted in the fourth quarter of 2008, analysts said.

But with the report showing consumer demand falling sharply at home and abroad, it is hard to call it good news, said Nigel Gault, chief U.S. economist with Global Insight in Lexington, Massachusetts.

"It is slim comfort that the U.S. cut its demand for imports more rapidly than the rest of the world cut its demand for U.S. exports. That might cushion the U.S. downturn a little, but it is not a route to recovery," Gault said.

U.S. stocks were little changed on Tuesday, but supported by the hope Congress would quickly release a remaining $350 billion in rescue funds to help stabilise credit markets.