Planet Fall by infocom. I worked backwards to Zork. The mystery was so enticing to me!

Two things are affecting this. One, it's summer and people need less energy. Two, the US economy is doing well but Europe is doing poorly. So, we're buying more stuff.

When the war in Ukraine is over, expect the trade deficit to get worse because Russia will be selling oil again. This will probably be a talking point during the elections.