WASHINGTON -- The U.S. trade deficit widened by 1.9 percent to 68.2 billion U.S. dollars in January as imports rose at a faster pace than exports, the U.S. Commerce Department reported on Friday.

U.S. exports rose by 1.0 percent to 191.9 billion dollars in January while imports increased by 1.2 percent to 260.2 billion dollars, according to the department.

"Overall the January trade data continue to indicate global trade is slowly coming back online," Jay Bryson and Shannon Seery, economists at Wells Fargo Securities, wrote Friday in an analysis. (US-Trade Deficit)

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MEXICO CITY -- Mexico could return to "economic normality" by the end of June, with employment at the levels registered before the spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Friday.

Before the pandemic broke out here in February 2020, the number of workers registered with the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS) was over 20.5 million, a figure that could be recovered by mid-year, the president said during his daily press conference. (Mexico-Economic Recovery)

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CHICAGO -- Gold futures on the COMEX division of the New York Mercantile Exchange fell on Friday as investors reacted to stronger than expected U.S. economic data.

The most active gold contract for April delivery fell 2.2 U.S. dollars, or 0.13 percent, to close at 1,698.5 dollars per ounce.

U.S. Department of Labor released its monthly big jobs report on Friday, showing the United States created 379,000 new jobs in February, the biggest increase in four months and much better than the 166,000-increase in January. And the unemployment rate fell to 6.2 percent in February from 6.3 percent in January. (US-Gold Futures) Enditem

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