The United States trade gap reached $97.8 billion in November, up from a revised $83.2 billion in October, according to the Commerce Department.

In a Bloomberg survey of economists, the $97.8 billion trade gap exceeded all of the experts'  estimates.

The United States imported $252.4 billion worth of goods, led by industrial supplies, in November. Consumer good imports totalaed $67 billion, another record. Exports totaled $154.7 billion in the month.

The Commerce Department's report also indicated that wholesale and retail inventories in the U.S. rose by 1.2% and 2%, respectively.

The Department of Commerce is scheduled to release a full report on November trade on January 6.