In February, the Nation’s international trade deficit in goods and service increased to $42.3 billion as exports decreased and imports increased. Imports of services increased $0.8 billion from January to February. The increase was mainly accounted for by an increase in royalties and license fees ($0.8 billion), which included payments for the rights to broadcast the 2014 Winter Olympic Games.

On the eve of February 6, Sochi, Russia hosted the opening ceremony that continued the legacy for 2,873 participating athletics and those watching from around the world.  During the month of February, 88 nations participated in the multi-sport competitions. To find more details about the 2014 Winter Olympic Games and meet the new Olympic medalists visit //www.olympic.org/sochi-2014-winter-olympics.

A Profile of U.S. Importing and Exporting Companies, 2011-2012

This month also marks the release of the 2011-2012 Profile of U.S. Importing and Exporting Companies. If you aren’t familiar with it, the Profile is our annual release that combines FTD’s trade data with company information from the Census Business Register to provide company statistics on exporters and importers. With the information from the Business Register, we are able to break down exports or imports by the size or industry of the companies doing the exporting or importing. Using this company information along with what we gather in our trade data, we are able to provide data users with information such as how much value was exported to China by small (less than 100 employees) manufacturing companies. This is just one example of the many things you can find in the Profile.  Check it out!