NEW YORK, May 6 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. trade deficit ballooned 14 percent to a record 140.5 billion U.S. dollars in March, as businesses stockpiled goods to get ahead of sweeping tariffs that President Donald Trump imposed the following month.

The value of imported goods totaled 346.8 billion dollars, according to Census Bureau data issued on Tuesday, continuing a sharp increase that began in January. Nearly all of the 22.5 billion dollars surge in imported consumer goods for March were pharmaceutical products, which the Trump administration is currently considering to hit with tariffs. Imports of computer accessories, automobiles, and car parts and engines also increased.

"The rush may be short-lived," noted The Wall Street Journal in its report about the data. Trump announced tariffs on all imported goods on April 2, and ratcheted up his trade war with China. Cargo shipments from China have slowed considerably, with additional tariffs on Chinese goods now pegged at 145 percent.

"The record has only been a result of front running," and "the trade deficit should be narrower in April," Bradley Saunders, economist at Capital Economics, was quoted as saying.

Some economists say businesses continued to front-load in April as Trump put a 90-day pause on "reciprocal" tariffs, or the higher duties for some countries, according to the report. The concentration on pharmaceuticals also means companies didn't buy as much of everything else, from toys to apparel.