U.S. government posts $205 billion deficit in November

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. federal government ran a $205 billion (£162.1 billion) deficit in November, according to data released on Thursday by the Treasury Department.

Analysts polled by Reuters had expected a $188 billion deficit for last month.

Treasury said federal spending in November was $411 billion, up 18 percent from the same month in 2017, while receipts were $206 billion, down 1 percent compared to November 2017.

The total deficit for the first two months of the current fiscal year has widened 51 percent, to $305 billion, compared to $202 billion in the first two months of the prior fiscal year.

(Reporting by Howard Schneider; Editing by Paul Simao)