Exports

The FT900 (U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services) is the joint monthly trade report from the Census Bureau and BEA (Bureau of Economic Analysis). Exports cover physical goods leaving U.S. customs territory (50 states, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands and trade zones). Domestic exports were grown or transformed in the United States, while re-exports (foreign goods shipped largely unchanged) count too. Values are nominal dollars, services cover 11 categories, and headlines use Balance of Payments basis with seasonal adjustment.

The Census Bureau and BEA release it jointly each month under embargo at 8:30 AM Eastern time. The FT900 follows the reference month by 34 to 36 days, after an Advance snapshot at 24 to 26 days. Each FT900 shows headline totals, 3-month moving averages, end-use and services detail, and country balances. Revisions follow fixed rules: monthly prior-month updates, quarterly 6-month updates, plus annual recalculation.

Goods and services respond to different buyers, so total exports can rise even when one part falls.

• Census-basis goods: customs-recorded merchandise valued f.a.s. (alongside the ship at the U.S. port), with Canada data substituted.
• Net BOP adjustments: BEA additions minus deductions that align customs totals with national-accounts concepts.
• Services exports: sales to nonresidents across 11 categories, from travel and transport to financial and business services.
• End-use aggregates: about 140 export categories summed to 6 broad groups, from foods to capital and consumer goods.
• Re-exports: foreign goods exported largely unchanged and included in total exports as a separate line.
• Real and geography splits: inflation-adjusted goods in reference-year dollars plus country detail that does not sum to headlines.

Because goods and services move on different demand, strength in one part can offset softness in the other.

1. Census-basis goods: sum EEI (Electronic Export Information) values at f.a.s. Substitute Canadian import data for Canada, and add low-value estimates for shipments at or below 2500 dollars.
2. BOP-basis goods: add BEA net adjustments (gold, carrier fuel and merchanting (buying and reselling abroad) minus repairs and film) and seasonally adjust.
3. Services exports: use surveys where monthly data exist, else split quarterly totals into months with Denton interpolation (pattern-preserving distribution), then seasonally adjust.
4. Headline total: add BOP goods and services, subtract imports for the balance, and split goods by end-use with X-13ARIMA-SEATS adjustment (seasonal and trading-day method).