By Jeff Ferry, CPA Research Director Sometimes the victories come so thick and fast, you have to sit down, take a deep breath, and count them. And sometimes your victories come wrapped in so many layers of pious self-justifying twaddle that you don’t even recognize them. In the past few weeks, those of us who…
“The virtuous cycle of capital has broken down,” says Dan Alpert, Managing Partner at Westwood Capital in this new edition of Real Conversations. [Dan Alpert| February 09, 2017 |HedgeEye] That’s not hyperbole. Alpert wrote the book, “The Age of Oversupply.” In it, he argues that a global labor glut, excess productive capacity, and a rising ocean of cheap capital…
Washington ~ The U.S. Department of Commerce released a report yesterday showing that the US trade deficit rose to $502.3 billion, its highest level since 2012. “The huge trade deficit continues to hollow out U.S. manufacturing industry and depress real incomes in many parts of the country,” said Jeff Ferry, CPA Research Director. “All eyes are on the Trump Administration…
By Jeff Ferry, CPA Research Director The United States trade deficit for 2016 rose to $502.3 billion, its highest level since 2012, as a growing U.S. economy, a rising U.S. dollar, mercantilist practices by many foreign trading partners, and generally lackluster economic growth in foreign markets combined to make the trade balance a negative force in…
Our economy has suffered through thirty years of very slow growth. The median wage has stood still and almost all our economic gains have gone to the top one percent. [Ralph Gomory| January 26, 2017 |The Hill] This is not the economy we want. But if we want something better, we will have to change some…
A controversial part of NAFTA that permits Mexican trucks to roll through the United States may be left on the cutting room floor if the Trump administration decides to reopen the trade deal. [Lauren Gardner| February 6, 2017] And that would suit parts of the U.S. trucking industry, their unions and some avowed foes of…
Billings, Mont. One of the staunchest supporters of mandatory country of origin labeling (COOL) for beef, R-CALF USA, is launching a new campaign called “COOLin100.” The campaign calls on the new Trump Administration and new Congress to reinstate COOL for beef and pork during the Trump Administration’s first 100 days in office. The idea to launch the new…
I’ve been talking to some of the Coalition for a Prosperous America’s lobbyists about the current situation for border-adjustable taxes, i.e. taxes that might help improve America’s trade situation, up on Capitol Hill. What they told me is basically good news. To wit: [Ian Fletcher| February 4, 2017 |Huffington Post] “We’ve pushed for more border adjustability via…
Let’s take a breath and step back from our circus-like introduction to the Trump era. A few weeks ago, we were trying to decode voters’ messages in the US and UK. Donald Trump, Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton, and millions of voters said we have lost trust in the way we’ve managed globalization. Brexit and the…