Definitions for "Merchandise Trade Balance"
(aka BALANCE OF TRADE) the difference between the amount of goods that the U.S. imports and what the U.S. exports. Published by the Department of Commerce.
Category in the current account of the balance of payments which includes all traded goods (manufactured items, agricultural commodities, chemicals and all other physically tangible products).
This statistic measures the import and export levels to determine the balance of trade in the nation. The difference between the two is referred to as the trade gap.