What is the reason for expecting the narrowing of trade gap?

Many economists had expected the trade gap to narrow because of lower oil prices. Oil prices did drop by a record amount, but that was offset by a record surge in the volume of oil imports. The Commerce Department says the gap for October grew to more than 57 billion dollars which is 1.1% higher than September’s imbalance. American farm products and manufacture goods took a hit overseas and even as overall imports fell in October, those from China increased 2.8%. But in a sign the global recession is catching up with China’s export-driven economy, government figures released this week show Chinese exports fell for the first time in almost seven years.