WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. trade deficit narrowed sharply in April, with imports decreasing by the most on record as the front-running of goods ahead of tariffs ebbed, which could provide a lift to economic growth this quarter.

In a revelation that shocks probably no one, the US trade deficit in goods and services sharply shrank to $61.6 billion in April from $138.3 billion in March, Commerce Department figures show. The plunge coincides neatly with the Trump administration’s century-high tariff regime,

Supply chain data shows the flip side to the drop in the trade deficit: an import surge has turned into a pause and small businesses face the most pain.