(RTTNews) - The merchandise trade balance in Japan plummeted 86.6 percent in July, the Ministry of Finance said on Thursday, standing at 91.1 billion yen.

That was the fifth straight month of decline, coming in well short of analyst expectations of 235 billion yen. It was also less than the revised 121.9 billion yen surplus in June. A fall in trade with the United States was the big factor, dropping 19 percent on year to 600.2 billion yen.

The unadjusted merchandise trade balance was 172.4 billion yen in July, less than the 351 billion yen forecast and the revised 131.3 billion yen surplus in the previous month.

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