US exports rise more than expected

The gap fell 3.6 percent to $30.7 billion from a revised $31.9 billion in July, the Commerce Department said yesterday in Washington. The 0.2 percent increase in demand for American-made goods abroad would have been larger excluding a drop in aircraft shipments, which tend to be volatile.

More than $2 trillion in government stimulus programs are reviving demand from Asia to Europe, ensuring that US factories benefit from growing sales overseas as the dollar weakens. Production gains and the need to replenish depleted inventories mean imports will probably also grow, preventing the deficit from narrowing further.

“Exports continue to hold up pretty well, as a recovery is occurring in many parts of the world, especially in Asia,’’ said Jay Bryson, global economist at Wells Fargo Securities LLC in Charlotte, N.C. “The weakness of the dollar will improve the competitiveness of our products,’’ he said, and “imports will reflect the stabilization in the US.’’

The trade gap was projected to widen to $33 billion from an initially reported $32 billion in July. Deficit projections ranged from $29 billion to $35.3 billion.

The dollar held earlier gains following the report, propelled by comments yesterday from Ben S. Bernanke, chairman of the Federal Reserve, that the central bank is ready to raise interest rates once the economy improves.

The dollar rose the most against the Japanese yen since August, bringing it to 89.80 yen. Stocks rose, with the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index closing up 0.6 percent at 1,071.49 in New York. The dollar fell yesterday to its lowest level since August 2008 against the currencies of six major US trading partners.

A weaker dollar is likely to stimulate foreign demand in coming months as US-made goods become cheaper overseas. Manufacturing expanded over the last two months, the first back-to-back gain since before the recession began in December 2007, according to the Institute for Supply Management. The Tempe, Ariz.-based group’s export gauge in August reached the highest level in a year.

Exports increased to $128.2 billion, led by a $496 million gain in sales of cars and parts. Exports to Canada reached the highest level since November, reflecting the cross-border trade in autos.

Imports fell 0.6 percent to $158.9 billion in August after jumping the prior month by the most in 16 years. Purchases of crude oil from overseas dropped as the United States imported 8.66 million barrels a day on average, down from 9.56 million in July. The average price per barrel rose from $62.48 to $64.75.