Japan’s [B]Merchandise Trade Balance[/B] surplus shrank to 380.2 billion yen in July, down from a revised 507.5 billion in June as imports grew 3% while exports shrank -1.3% from the previous month. The metric hit a record low in January 2009 and has since corrected higher, coinciding with acceleration in the growth of unemployment that has weighed on consumer spending, including that of foreign-made products. Indeed, in annual terms, the rate of contraction in inbound shipments (-40.8%) continues to outpace the drop in overseas sales (-36.5%). Still, the trade balance has been trending firmly lower since the surplus peaked in September 2007, the same month that US personal consumption of durable goods topped out and began to trend sharply lower. Although current economic growth forecasts suggest the US will outpace most industrial countries as the global recovery gains traction, chances are it will be some time before the American consumer is ready to meaningfully commit to big-ticket purchases such as Japanese cars and electronics. Indeed, a survey of economists conducted by Bloomberg calls for the external sector to add just 2.3% to overall growth on average this year and in 2010, the least in 9 years.