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U.S. budget deficit smaller than expected in February


    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. government posted a smaller budget deficit than expected in February as receipts came in stronger than in the same period a year ago.

    The federal government ran $193.5 billion into the red last month, the Treasury Department said on Thursday in a monthly budget statement. Analysts polled by Reuters expected a budget deficit of $212.0 billion.

    Receipts totaled $144 billion in February, up from $123 billion in February 2013.

    (Reporting by Patrick Temple-West; Editing by Andrea Ricci)