Exports of US goods and services rose to a record $2.2bn (£1.3bn) in April, helping to shrink its trade deficit.
Data from the Commerce Department showed the gap between imports and exports fell by 6.7% to $43.7bn as manufacturers shipped more items such as computers.
A fall in imports also helped narrow the gap, although that reflected supply problems caused by Japan’s earthquake.
The trade gap so far this year is still 10% higher than last year.
Exports rose 1.3% to a record $175.6bn, while imports dipped 0.4% to $219.2%.
Imports from Japan fell by 25.5%, although these are expected to recover over the months as Japanese factories and infrastructure is rebuilt.
Analysts expect the trade gap to widen slightly over the year.
The biggest deficit is with China. The figures for April showed that widen by almost 20% to $21.6bn.
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US exports shrink trade deficit
