Here is a rundown on some of the biggest economic developments this week. 1.) Former Fed Chair Paul Volcker passes away. Paul Volcker, who’s chairmanship of the Federal Reserve played a pivotal role in...
Tag - trade policy
Jonathan Decker
Why President Trump’s Latest Tariffs Are the Most Nonsensical
This week, President Trump took to Twitter to announce new tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from Brazil and Argentina. Although the Trump administration has had its share of puzzling trade war escalations —...
Will a Weak Global Economy Drag Down the U.S. With It?
Pundits and politicians are vociferously debating the health of the U.S. economy, but one subject that isn’t up for debate is the health of the world economy — it stinks. Economic growth has slowed...
This Week in Economics: 3 Stories You Should Know About
Welcome back from Labor Day weekend! I hope it was a great one for all our readers. I was out in Texas for the first time, and as a good conservative, it pains me to be back in the swamp! But, lucky for us, this...
Trump’s 2020 Chances Could Hinge on China Trade Deal
Recently, the stock market has been on a wild ride after trade war escalations including the U.S. labeling China a currency manipulator, the announcement of $550 billion in new tariffs, and a confusing tweet ordering U...
Amid Chinese Threat to Cut Rare Mineral Exports, U.S. Should Start Mining Its Own
Stocks were rocked yesterday after China’s People’s Daily newspaper published an editorial warning that China could restrict exports of rare earth minerals if trade tensions continue escalating. This threat spooked...
This Week in Economics: 4 Stories You Should Know About
The U.S. economy showed surprising strength in the first quarter of 2019, with initial estimates of GDP growth coming in at a solid 3.2 percent, and more significantly, year-over-year productivity growth hit 2.4 percent...
Does Apple’s Stock Dive Spell Trouble for the U.S. Economy?
Yesterday, Apple sent the already wobbly stock market tumbling after lowering its earnings expectations for the first quarter of 2019. As of writing, Apple’s stock was on pace for its largest single-day decline in...
All I Want For Christmas Is a Trade Deal with China
Regardless of whether you support President Trump’s tariffs as a negotiating tactic or whether you view them as harmful and unlikely to net a better deal, my Christmas wish is that the U.S. and China reach a pro...
Congress Needs to Be Involved in Negotiating “New NAFTA” Deal
Yesterday, the United States and Mexico agreed on a new trade agreement to replace NAFTA. As I write this column, it’s still too early to say what the impact of this new accord will be, as most of its details have not...
Wall Street Journal to President Trump: It’s Time for Monetary Reform
This week, a fantastic editorial appeared in the Wall Street Journal that has sparked a very important conversation. In the article, the paper’s editorial board encourages President Trump to use monetary reform to...
Hypocrisy: Trudeau Slams Trump for Tariffs, Ignores Canada’s Protectionism
After the recent G-7 Summit, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau raised eyebrows when he gave a blistering press conference calling out President Trump for his protectionist tariffs. Trudeau’s remarks were met...
Why Threatening Tariffs Is Unlikely to Get America a Better Deal
Today, President Trump sparked an early stock market sell-off with the announcement that his administration has identified $200 billion in Chinese goods that it could hit with tariffs. This potential $200 billion tax...
This Week in Economics: 4 News Stories You Need to Know About
Here is an update on some of the recent stories that I have covered for The National Pulse: 1.) D.C. City Council unanimously votes to raise taxes on Uber…and a ton of other things. The Washington Times reports: The 13...
A Trump Trade War Wouldn’t Put ‘America First’
President Trump rattled global markets this week after announcing his administration would pursue a new 25 percent import tariff on steel, and a new 10 percent import tariff on aluminum. To call a spade a spade —...
Dear President Trump: “America First” Should Mean Free and Open Trade
Last Friday, President Donald Trump took the podium at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Vietnam to deliver a forceful speech in which he doubled down on his nationalist economic rhetoric. In his remarks...
Erik Halvorson
NAFTA Has Been Great For Our Economy — But Here’s Something We Can Improve
Since the passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) — a treaty envisioned by Ronald Reagan and later implemented by Bill Clinton — trade between the U.S., Canada, and Mexico has increased...
A Trump Trade War Would Be Sobering for American Whiskey
Over the last few weeks, President Trump has ignited a modern Whiskey Rebellion after revealing his interest in placing a tariff on foreign-made steel. In response to Trump’s protectionist threat, the European Union...
Trump’s Border Tax “Kingdom” Would Have Plenty of Serfs
In a recent New York Times interview, Donald Trump was pressed on whether he was a fan of the House GOP’s proposed border-adjustment tax; the President responded, “I am. I’m the king of that.” If President Trump has in...