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The U.S. trade deficit declined in July with a sharp drop in imports, the Bureau of Economic Analysis said Thursday.

The deficit, at $49.8 billion in June, dropped to $42.8 billion, as imports fell by $4.2 billion to $196.1 billion.

Exports rose in the month, up $2.8 billion to $153.4 billion.

The deficit in trading for goods dropped by $7 billion from a month ago to $55.2 billion, while the spread was unchanged in service businesses, where a $12.5 billion surplus held steady June to July.

The bureau said deficits dropped in trading with China, the Organization of Petroleum Export Countries, Mexico, Canada and Japan, but rose in trading with Germany, Ireland, and the European Union.