Citi(US:C)2025-07-07 15:44Investment Rating - The report does not explicitly provide an investment rating for the industry Core Insights - The trade balance widened moderately in May to -$71.5 billion, with a drop in exports and imports remaining essentially flat [1][3] - Imports from China have significantly decreased due to high tariffs, but are expected to rebound as tariffs are reduced [1][8] - The overall effective tariff rate on imports to the US is approximately 9%, with China facing a much higher rate of 45% [4] Summary by Sections Trade Balance - The trade balance widened from -$60.3 billion in April to -$71.5 billion in May, with goods exports falling by 5.9% month-over-month and services exports decreasing by 0.2% [3] - The goods trade balance with China saw a 19.9% decline in exports and a 26.3% decline in imports [4] Imports and Exports - Imports from the EU rebounded by 6.9%, while imports from Canada and Mexico rose by 0.5% and 8%, respectively [4] - The drop in exports in May was less severe when accounting for falling gold exports, which had surged in April [6] Economic Impact - The widening trade balance in May is expected to mechanically weigh on GDP growth, but net exports may provide a substantial boost to GDP growth in Q2 due to the plunge in imports in April [5] - Imports of metals have declined significantly, which could negatively impact domestic production in sectors reliant on metal imports [7]