The u.s. balance of trade is determined by
We determine a country’s balance of trade by subtracting the value of its imports from the value of its exports. If a country sells more products than it buys, it has a favorable balance, called a trade surplus . Balance of trade, sometimes called trade balance, is the difference between the total monetary amount of imports and exports of a particular country. If this difference is a negative number, that means the country imports more than it exports and is running what is called a "trade deficit.". One measure of a country's economic health and stability is its balance of trade, which is the difference between the value of imports and the value of exports over a defined period. A positive balance is known as a trade surplus, which is characterized by exporting more (in terms of value)