Roughly a quarter of America's clothing dollar is now spent on foreign-made goods.

In effect, the economy is borrowing from foreigners in exchange for foreign-made goods.

The weaker dollar makes the cost of foreign-made goods, from videotape players to automobiles, more costly for Americans.

Some of the objects described would allow us to understand 19th-century medical care better; others could inform us about consumer practices in buying foreign-made goods.

But the weakened dollar makes the cost of foreign-made goods relatively more expensive, and if import prices go up, American producers can follow.

Most of the increase in the deficit, American officials said, came from remarkably strong consumer spending for foreign-made goods.

These developments have enabled many American companies to increase their exports and fight off the foreign-made goods that were stealing their business at home.

The lower dollar makes it more expensive for Americans to buy foreign-made goods, thus inhibiting imports.

The idea is that greater economic activity will draw in more imports, creating a larger market for foreign-made goods.

High employment will keep demand for foreign-made goods high.