The United States’ current account deficit widened in the second quarter of 2026, reaching -$246.0 billion, compared with a revised -$212.6 billion in the first quarter of the year. The latest figures, updated on 24 September 2026, point to a further deterioration in the country’s balance on trade in goods, services, income, and current transfers with the rest of the world.
The shift from the first-quarter deficit underscores mounting external imbalances, as U.S. demand for foreign goods and services, income flows, or transfers outpaced corresponding inflows. While the data release provides headline figures only, the increase in the overall shortfall suggests that net payments to the rest of the world continued to deepen over the spring period.
With the current account firmly in negative territory and expanding quarter-on-quarter, the numbers will likely feed into broader debates over the sustainability of U.S. external financing and its interaction with growth, interest rates and the dollar. Market participants and policymakers will be watching subsequent quarters closely to see whether this widening deficit proves temporary or becomes a more entrenched feature of the U.S. external position.
