India's trade deficit widened in December, as elevated US tariffs continued to pressure exporters. The gap between exports and imports stood at $25.04 billion last month, data released by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry showed Thursday, in line with projections by economists in a Bloomberg survey.
Imports rose 8.8% in December from a year earlier to $63.55 billion while exports rose 1.9% to $38.51 billion.
A widening deficit would add pressure on the already weak rupee, weighed down by capital outflows and uncertainty over the timing of a US trade deal.
India remains one of the few major economies yet to secure a trade deal with the US, despite months of negotiations. Exporters in labor-intensive sectors have warned that further delays could cost them orders for the US summer shopping season.
Monthly trade data tends to be volatile because they can be affected by the timing of shipments and customs clearance.
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