Shrinking cities are dense cities that have experienced notable population loss. Emigration (migration from a place) is a common reason for city shrinkage. Since the infrastructure of such cities was built to support a larger population, its maintenance can become a serious concern. A related phenomenon is counter urbanization.
DEFINITION of 'Trade Surplus'. An economic measure of a positive balance of trade, where a country's exports exceeds its imports. A trade surplus represents a net inflow of domestic currency from foreign markets, and is the opposite of a trade deficit, which would represent a net outflow. Next Up.
In turn, this trade deficit can be traced back to the rise in the value of the dollar that began in the second half of 1997. As the dollar rose, U.S. demand for imports was spurred by falling import prices, while foreign demand for U.S. exports was dampened by rising export prices. The result was a merchandise trade deficit equal to 5.2% of GDP in the third quarter of 2004, an increase of 4% of GDP since the beginning of 1997.