El Salvador's trade gap is mostly explained by the country's need to import fuels, consumer goods and industrial equipment. Textiles is the country's major export followed by chemicals, rubber and plastics, metallic products and sugar. The leading trading partner is the United States with 45 percent of exports and 32 percent of imports. Others include Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua.
A higher than expected figure should be seen as positive (bullish) for the USD while a lower than expected figure should be seen as negative (bearish) for the USD.