U.S. posts another budget deficit as tax revenues sag

The U.S. federal government ran a $14 billion budget deficit in December as revenues sagged following last year’s tax cuts even as the economy appeared strong, Treasury Department data showed on Wednesday. Analysts polled by Reuters had expected an $11 billion deficit for the month and the gap was the latest sign of deterioration in the government’s fiscal position. A strong U.S. job market has appeared to power economic growth this year, an economic setting that tends to help fiscal revenues. Economists suspect some of the economic strength draws from tax cuts that came into effect at the beginning of 2018.