Changes to FT-900 Release Layout

With this release of the “U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services” report, the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) and the U.S. Census Bureau have implemented changes to the release layout to reflect recent changes to each bureau’s respective style guidelines for economic indicator news releases. These changes do not affect the statistics or the text contained in the release. The layout and format of the exhibits also are not impacted.

Substantive changes include:

  • Adding a summary box that presents the goods and services trade deficit, exports of goods and
   services, imports of goods and services, and the percent change from the prior month for each of these
   series.
  • Removing the “U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services” chart, which shows exports, imports,
   and the trade balance.
  • Reorienting the chart on the goods and services trade balance to show the goods and services trade
   deficit.
  • Relocating the “Information on Goods and Services” section to immediately after the release text and
   renaming this section as “Explanatory Notes.”

If you have questions, please contact BEA, Balance of Payments Division, at [email protected] or the Census Bureau, Economic Indicators Division, on (800) 549-0595, option 4, or at [email protected]