• The US trade deficit swelled 5.9% to $67.1 billion in August, the Commerce Department said Tuesday, reaching its largest level since 2006.
• Economists surveyed by Bloomberg expected the trade gap to widen to $66.2 billion.
• Shipments of consumer goods led the increase in imports and hit a record high as companies prepared for holiday-season spending.
• President Trump frequently pointed to the trade deficit as a gauge of his trade policies’ success. The growing gap gives him little to brag about heading into the 2020 presidential election.
• Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.

The US trade deficit swelled to its largest since 2006 in August as holiday-season importing accelerated.

The gap in trade of goods and services grew