France's trade balance slumped to a record deficit in April, deteriorating more sharply than expected due to increased imports of refined oil and airplanes. French customs data showed that the seasonally adjusted trade deficit widened to 7.1 billion euros in April, compared to 5.9 billion in March. The result was far worse than the -5.9 billion median of seven forecasts from economists polled by Reuters. Their forecasts ranged from -5.5 billion to -6.6 billion euros.