Similarly, the gaps with China and Mexico continued to widen sharply.

China's trade surplus widened sharply last year, to about $20 billion from $5.3 billion in 1994.

When the Fed rate cuts began, short-term rates fell and the spread widened sharply as the yield curve steepened.

The nation's merchandise trade deficit widened sharply in the third quarter.

That, he argues, shows the limitations of using an average number at a time when the gap between high- and low-paid workers is widening sharply.

The proposal sharply widens the debate over approaches to the debt crisis.

At the same time, however, the gap between the top and bottom widened sharply.

The gap between incomes already widened sharply from 1970 to 2000, according to census data tabulated for the report.

For those reasons, the Commerce Department said the trade gap widened sharply in March to $5.8 billion, a 77 percent increase from the month before.

The data also showed that while the overall gap had narrowed, the nation's trade deficit with Japan widened sharply, by 25 percent.