Here’s one key takeaway from the Commerce Department’s trade report Thursday in Washington: The U.S. deficit with the European Union climbed to $15.2 billion, the highest on record.
* American companies are buying more from their European Union counterparts as a strengthening dollar against the euro makes goods from that continent cheaper.
* American imports from the EU totaled $247.2 billion in the first seven months of this year compared with $243.6 billion in the same period in 2014.
* Conversely, slumping emerging markets are hurting the U.S. Exports to Brazil dropped to $2.45 billion in July, the weakest since February 2010. Sales to China were down 3.6 percent from January through July from the same time in 2014.