[Related to the Economics in Practice on p. 691] The United States is the largest oil importer in the world, importing an average of 11.7 million barrels of crude oil per day in 2009.

According to the Economics in Practice article, France’s trade deficit fell in 2009 as a result of lower oil prices. Go to www.inflationdata.com to look up crude oil prices for the past 10 years; then go to www.census.gov to look up the U.S. trade balance for the past 10 years. Does there appear to be a relationship between the price of crude oil and the U.S. trade balance?

Briefly explain the results of your findings.