WASHINGTON, April 13 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. trade deficit increased by 7.4 percent to 39.7 billion dollars in February, the Commerce Department reported Tuesday.

The February imbalance was higher than the 38.5 billion dollar deficit that economists had been expecting.

In the second month of 2010, exports edged up by 0.2 percent to the highest level in 16 months, while imports rose by 1.7 percent.

Economists say that U.S. increases in export and import indicate that the U.S. economy was beginning to recover from the most serious recession in decades.

Trade experts expect the trade deficit to rise this year but hope that expanding exports will continue to boost the recovery of the U.S. manufacturing sector.