The same is true for imports going the other way.
But it also means lower prices for imports, which should cause them to increase.
The previous high for imports was $14.8 billion in December 1987.
Few if any of their needs could be met by internal resources, but no one had dollars to pay for imports.
In the 70s, the Brazilian market was closed for imports.
The rise in the dollar has led to lower prices for imports.
But so far, Americans' appetite for imports has yet to slow.
A less developed country will pay for imports with its foreign exchange reserves.
Yet the outlook for imports is now less predictable than ever.
Since then it has approved only two applications for new imports.