Trade Balance API

GET

Track monthly US trade deficits and surpluses back to 1992.

Trade Balance provides monthly US international trade data - exports, imports, and the resulting goods-and-services trade balance (deficit or surplus) on a Balance of Payments basis.

Try it — live request, no key required

Request

GETapi.apiverve.com/v1/tradebalance

Verification

Format

No key required to try it. Get a key to use it in your app.

Example

{
  "status": "ok",
  "error": null,
  "data": {
    "yearMonth": "2026-07",
    "year": 2026,
    "month": 7,
    "exports": 310723,
    "imports": 399299,
    "balance": -88576,
    "unit": "millions_usd",
    "exportsFormatted": "$310.72 billion",
    "importsFormatted": "$399.30 billion",
    "balanceFormatted": "-$88.58 billion",
    "tradeStatus": "deficit",
    "updatedAt": "2026-09-16T16:03:38.440Z"
  }
}

About the Trade Balance API

Trade Balance sources data from FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) using the Census Bureau FT-900 Balance of Payments series, providing seasonally adjusted monthly exports, imports, and the trade balance in millions of US dollars, with history back to 1992.

What people use it for

Economic Analysis: Track US trade patterns for economic research
Policy Research: Analyze trade data for policy research and analysis
Business Intelligence: Factor trade trends into business planning

Ways to call it

One endpoint, many ways in — REST with JSON, XML, YAML and CSV, plus GraphQL and an MCP interface for AI agents.

JSON: Default REST response
XML: Markup format
YAML: Human-readable
CSV: Tabular export
GraphQL: Query language
MCP: For AI agents

View all integrations →

Other ways to use Trade Balance

Same data, same APIVerve account, same credit balance — one key works on all of them.

Give it to an AI agentConnect over MCP and your agent calls it as a native tool — Claude, Cursor, ChatGPT.on VerveKit Google Sheets or ExcelA =VERVE() formula fills a column — no script, no export, recalculates in place.on VerveSheets Ground an agent on itA cited, machine-checkable fact your model can't produce on its own.on VerveContext

Questions.

Common questions about the Trade Balance API.

Read the docs →

Where does the trade balance data come from?

Data is sourced from Federal Reserve Economic Data (FRED) using the Census Bureau FT-900 Balance of Payments series. Figures provide seasonally adjusted exports, imports, and net balance in millions of US dollars.

How far back does historical US trade data go?

Monthly historical data is available back to 1992. You can query any specific month using YYYY-MM format or omit the date parameter entirely to retrieve the latest reported month.

Are the formatted dollar amounts included on the Free plan?

Human-readable figures such as formatted exports, imports, and net balance require any paid plan, starting with Starter. The Free plan includes the underlying raw figures in millions of US dollars, trade status, and timestamps.

What would 5,000 trade data lookups a month cost me?

A Starter plan covers up to 100,000 lookups a month, so 5,000 lookups uses only a fraction of your monthly credit allowance. On Starter, that volume works out to about $0.30 per 1,000 calls. If you only need occasional checks, the Free plan includes 100 lookups each month at no cost.

Can I display US trade balance figures in a commercial dashboard?

Yes, commercial use is permitted on any paid plan. You can incorporate the trade figures into your internal analytics tools, dashboards, or published research, provided you do not resell or redistribute the raw data as-is.

Request parameters — GET /v1/tradebalance

Sent in the query string. Premium parameters are accepted on every plan but only take effect on plans that include them. Anything not listed here is dropped rather than passed through.

Optional

Parameter	Type	Example	Description
`date`Optional	string	`2023-06`	Optional date in YYYY-MM format for historical lookup. Omit for current data. date

Example request

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2

curl "https://api.apiverve.com/v1/tradebalance?date=2023-06" \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY"

Authentication

Send your key in the x-api-key header. That is the only auth step — no token exchange, and no per-endpoint scope to configure.

Header	When	Value
`x-api-key`Required	Every request	Your API key. Header names are case-insensitive, so `X-API-Key` is the same header.
`Authorization`Alternate	Instead of the above	`Bearer <key>` — for clients that only expose bearer auth. Resolves to the same account and the same billing.

401 is the only auth verdict

A 401 means the key is missing, invalid or expired. A 403 means the key is valid but not permitted here — blocked by a key restriction or an IP allow-list. Running out of credits is a 429.

Response — GET /v1/tradebalance

Every APIVerve endpoint returns the same three top-level keys, so one response handler covers your whole integration: status, error and data. Only data changes shape.

Sample response

{
  "status": "ok",
  "error": null,
  "data": {
    "yearMonth": "2026-07",
    "year": 2026,
    "month": 7,
    "exports": 310723,
    "imports": 399299,
    "balance": -88576,
    "unit": "millions_usd",
    "exportsFormatted": "$310.72 billion",
    "importsFormatted": "$399.30 billion",
    "balanceFormatted": "-$88.58 billion",
    "tradeStatus": "deficit",
    "updatedAt": "2026-09-16T16:03:38.440Z"
  }
}

Response fields

Paths are relative to data. Premium fields are absent rather than zeroed on plans that do not include them, so check for presence instead of comparing to 0.

Field	Type	Example	Description
`yearMonth`	string	`"2026-07"`	Year and month in YYYY-MM format for the trade data
`year`	number	`2026`	The calendar year for the trade balance data
`month`	number	`7`	The month number (1-12) for trade balance data
`exports`	number	`310723`	US exports of goods and services for the month, in millions of USD (BOP basis, seasonally adjusted)
`imports`	number	`399299`	US imports of goods and services for the month, in millions of USD (BOP basis, seasonally adjusted)
`balance`	number	`-88576`	Trade balance (exports minus imports) for the month, in millions of USD. Negative means a trade deficit
`unit`	string	`"millions_usd"`	Unit for the exports, imports, and balance figures (millions_usd)
`exportsFormatted`Premium	string	`"$310.72 billion"`	Human-readable exports figure (e.g., $265.20 billion)
`importsFormatted`Premium	string	`"$399.30 billion"`	Human-readable imports figure (e.g., $340.40 billion)
`balanceFormatted`Premium	string	`"-$88.58 billion"`	Human-readable trade balance figure (e.g., -$75.20 billion)
`tradeStatus`	string	`"deficit"`	Whether the month was a trade deficit or surplus
`updatedAt`	string	`"2026-09-16T16:03:38.440Z"`	ISO 8601 timestamp when the trade data was last updated

Response headers

Every response carries your balance, so your own code always knows where it stands without polling anything. All four are exposed to browsers through CORS.

Header	What it carries
`x-api-remaining-credits`	Credits left in the current cycle
`x-api-credits-used`	Credits spent in the current cycle
`x-api-max-credits`	The allowance for the cycle
`x-api-version`	Version of the endpoint that answered

Errors

Read the HTTP status first, then error for the specific reason. The body names the parameter that has to change.

Status	Meaning	What to do
`400`	Input was rejected	Read `error`; it names the parameter that has to change.
`401`	Key missing or invalid	Check the header name and the key value.
`403`	Key valid, but not permitted here	A key restriction or an IP allow-list — never a bad key.
`429`	Rate limited, or out of credits	Read `error` to tell them apart, then back off or top up.

What a call costs — 2 credits per call

Credits are shared across every APIVerve API — one balance, one key, one bill. Failed requests never count against it, so a rejected input costs nothing.

Plan	Per month	Credits	Trade Balance calls	Per 1,000 calls
Free	Free	200	100	Free
Starter	$29.99	200,000	100,000	$0.30
Pro	$99.99	1,000,000	500,000	$0.20
Mega	$299.99	4,000,000	2,000,000	$0.15

Calls are what the credits buy at this API's rate — spend them here, on any of the other APIs, or across both. Nothing is reserved per endpoint.

Compare all pricing tiers →

Call it from cURL — GET /v1/tradebalance

No SDK to install — this is a plain HTTPS call to /v1/tradebalance with your key in the x-api-key header. Swap in a real key and it runs as-is.

cURL

1
2

curl "https://api.apiverve.com/v1/tradebalance" \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY"

Resources

GitHubapiverve/tradebalance-apiSource, issues and the examples this page is built from.ReferenceTrade Balance API docsEvery parameter, every response field, and the errors.ParametersWhat this call acceptsRequired and optional inputs, with example values.

Also published for

@apiverve/tradebalancenpm APIVerve.API.TradeBalanceNuGet

Only the languages APIVerve ships a client for are listed — the rest call the endpoint directly over HTTPS.

Call it from Node.js — GET /v1/tradebalance

Install the Node.js SDK, then call the Trade Balance API with your key. The client wraps the same HTTPS request, so anything it returns is what the endpoint returns.

Install — npm

npm install @apiverve/tradebalance

Node.js

const res = await fetch("https://api.apiverve.com/v1/tradebalance", {
  headers: { "x-api-key": "YOUR_API_KEY" },
});
const { data } = await res.json();
console.log(data);

Resources

npm@apiverve/tradebalanceThe published Node.js client, versioned and signed.GitHubapiverve/tradebalance-apiSource, issues and the examples this page is built from.ReferenceTrade Balance API docsEvery parameter, every response field, and the errors.ParametersWhat this call acceptsRequired and optional inputs, with example values.

Also published for

APIVerve.API.TradeBalanceNuGet

Only the languages APIVerve ships a client for are listed — the rest call the endpoint directly over HTTPS.

Call it from Python — GET /v1/tradebalance

No SDK to install — this is a plain HTTPS call to /v1/tradebalance with your key in the x-api-key header. Swap in a real key and it runs as-is.

Python

import requests

res = requests.get(
    "https://api.apiverve.com/v1/tradebalance",
    headers={"x-api-key": "YOUR_API_KEY"},
)
print(res.json()["data"])

Resources

Also published for

@apiverve/tradebalancenpm APIVerve.API.TradeBalanceNuGet

Only the languages APIVerve ships a client for are listed — the rest call the endpoint directly over HTTPS.

Call it from C# / .NET — GET /v1/tradebalance

Install the C# / .NET SDK, then call the Trade Balance API with your key. The client wraps the same HTTPS request, so anything it returns is what the endpoint returns.

Install — NuGet

dotnet add package APIVerve.API.TradeBalance

C# / .NET

using var client = new HttpClient();
client.DefaultRequestHeaders.Add("x-api-key", "YOUR_API_KEY");

var json = await client.GetStringAsync("https://api.apiverve.com/v1/tradebalance");
Console.WriteLine(json);

Resources

NuGetAPIVerve.API.TradeBalanceThe published C# / .NET client, versioned and signed.GitHubapiverve/tradebalance-apiSource, issues and the examples this page is built from.ReferenceTrade Balance API docsEvery parameter, every response field, and the errors.ParametersWhat this call acceptsRequired and optional inputs, with example values.

Also published for

@apiverve/tradebalancenpm

Only the languages APIVerve ships a client for are listed — the rest call the endpoint directly over HTTPS.

Call it from Go — GET /v1/tradebalance

No SDK to install — this is a plain HTTPS call to /v1/tradebalance with your key in the x-api-key header. Swap in a real key and it runs as-is.

req, _ := http.NewRequest("GET", "https://api.apiverve.com/v1/tradebalance", nil)
req.Header.Set("x-api-key", "YOUR_API_KEY")

res, _ := http.DefaultClient.Do(req)
defer res.Body.Close()
body, _ := io.ReadAll(res.Body)
fmt.Println(string(body))

Resources

Also published for

@apiverve/tradebalancenpm APIVerve.API.TradeBalanceNuGet

Only the languages APIVerve ships a client for are listed — the rest call the endpoint directly over HTTPS.

Call it from PHP — GET /v1/tradebalance

No SDK to install — this is a plain HTTPS call to /v1/tradebalance with your key in the x-api-key header. Swap in a real key and it runs as-is.

PHP

$ch = curl_init("https://api.apiverve.com/v1/tradebalance");
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, true);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER, ["x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY"]);

$response = curl_exec($ch);
echo $response;

Resources

Also published for

@apiverve/tradebalancenpm APIVerve.API.TradeBalanceNuGet

Only the languages APIVerve ships a client for are listed — the rest call the endpoint directly over HTTPS.

Call it from Ruby — GET /v1/tradebalance

No SDK to install — this is a plain HTTPS call to /v1/tradebalance with your key in the x-api-key header. Swap in a real key and it runs as-is.

Ruby

require "net/http"

uri = URI("https://api.apiverve.com/v1/tradebalance")
req = Net::HTTP::Get.new(uri)
req["x-api-key"] = "YOUR_API_KEY"

res = Net::HTTP.start(uri.hostname, uri.port, use_ssl: true) { |h| h.request(req) }
puts res.body

Resources

Also published for

@apiverve/tradebalancenpm APIVerve.API.TradeBalanceNuGet

Only the languages APIVerve ships a client for are listed — the rest call the endpoint directly over HTTPS.

Finance

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Trade Balance API

Try it — live request, no key required

About the Trade Balance API

What people use it for

Ways to call it

Other ways to use Trade Balance

Questions.

Request parameters — GET /v1/tradebalance

Optional

Authentication

Response — GET /v1/tradebalance

Response fields

Response headers

Errors

What a call costs — 2 credits per call

Call it from cURL — GET /v1/tradebalance

Resources

Also published for

Call it from Node.js — GET /v1/tradebalance

Resources

Also published for

Call it from Python — GET /v1/tradebalance

Resources

Also published for

Call it from C# / .NET — GET /v1/tradebalance

Resources

Also published for

Call it from Go — GET /v1/tradebalance

Resources

Also published for

Call it from PHP — GET /v1/tradebalance

Resources

Also published for

Call it from Ruby — GET /v1/tradebalance

Resources

Also published for

Zero-code embed — one snippet, no backend

Changelog — Trade Balance API

Finance

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