The US goods trade deficit widened 11.5% to $132.6 billion in August, far above the $115 billion forecast, as imports surged on petroleum and AI-infrastructure equipment.

Goods imports rose 5.5% to $336.1 billion, the Commerce Department’s Census Bureau said on Wednesday. Industrial supplies including petroleum jumped 16.6%, while capital goods imports rose 4% on the AI infrastructure buildout.

Exports grew a modest 1.9% to $203.4 billion. Industrial supply exports rose 8.3%, but consumer goods shipments fell 10.5% and motor vehicle exports dropped 6.9%.

Trade has now subtracted from US GDP for three straight quarters, and economists say it could remain a drag on third-quarter growth.

Some of the hit could be blunted by rising inventories — wholesale stocks rose 0.7% in August and retail inventories climbed 0.3%.

The data lands as tariff policy and supply-chain shifts continue to reshape American trade flows, with energy imports and tech investment driving the import bill higher.