President Trump and the vice premier of China confirmed on Thursday that while significant progress has been made, there is no new trade agreement yet between the world’s two largest economies. “We’re certainly getting a lot closer,” Trump said sitting at his desk in the Oval Office with Chinese Vice…
Read MoreTag: economy
Hiring Rebounds as US Employers Add a Solid 196,000 Jobs
Hiring in the United States rebounded in March as U.S. employers added a solid 196,000 jobs, up sharply from February’s scant gain and evidence that many businesses still want to hire despite signs that the economy is slowing. The unemployment rate remained at 3.8 percent, near the lowest level in…
Read MoreFormer California GOP Chairman Lists Nine Ways America Is Moving Towards Socialism
by Nick Givas Former California GOP Chairman Tom Del Beccaro listed nine ways in which America is moving towards socialism during an appearance on “Fox & Friends” Monday. Del Beccaro said increased government spending and inflated tax codes are just the beginning and claimed they’ll have a domino effect on…
Read MoreAt 2.9 Percent, 2018 Was the Strongest Economy Since 2005 on Growth and Jobs
by Robert Romano President Donald Trump’s second year in office marked the strongest economic growth since 2005 at 2.9 percent, according to data compiled by the Bureau of Economic Analysis, beating every one of President Barack Obama’s years in office — for now. It was by a nose, and…
Read MoreSteve Cortes Commentary: The U.S. Economy Is Proving Critics Wrong Yet Again
by Steve Cortes The booming U.S. economy is proving the Democrats wrong yet again — liberals keep predicting a recession, but businesses just keep on hiring. According to the recently published data from the Department of Labor, nonfarm payrolls surged by 304,000 jobs in January, nearly doubling the 165,000 jobs that…
Read MoreIn-Depth Analysis of Trump’s Policy Proposals in State of the Union Address
by Daniel Davis President Donald Trump delivered his State of the Union address Tuesday night, and Heritage Foundation experts weighed in with analysis of the president’s policy proposals. Here’s what they had to say. Immigration Economy Law Defense & Foreign Policy Life Energy & Infrastructure Health Care Education Immigration…
Read MoreDespite Current Tariffs, the US Can Expect a Trade Deficit of $410 Billion with China
by Robert Romano Last month, China reported growth of its economy in 2018 at 6.6 percent, the lowest in 28 years. The slowdown is real enough but whether it results in a grand trade deal by the U.S. and China may depend on how much pain China is really feeling…
Read MoreLeaders Skip Davos Amid Domestic Troubles, Anti-Globalist Backlash
The World Economic Forum summit in Davos, Switzerland, that wrapped up Friday, had some notable absentees, including President Donald Trump. With a backlash against a perceived ruling elite gaining ground in many countries, analysts say some leaderssteeredclear of a gathering often seen as an inaccessible club for the world’s super-rich.…
Read MoreDr. Carol M. Swain Commentary: Trump’s Heroic Efforts to Fulfill His ‘Make America Great Again’ Promises
by Dr. Carol M. Swain With President Donald Trump about to begin his third year in office, it’s fitting to discuss what he has accomplished since his election. Although the news is currently dominated by the federal government shutdown and the conflict between Trump and Democratic leaders over the…
Read MoreChina Expected to Report Slowest Growth in 28 Years
Reuters China is expected to report Monday that economic growth cooled to its slowest in 28 years in 2018 amid weakening domestic demand and bruising U.S. tariffs, adding pressure on Beijing to roll out more support measures to avert a sharper slowdown. Growing signs of weakness in China, which…
Read MoreAmerican Farmers Support Trump Despite Tariffs
by Tim Pearce American farmers are sticking behind President Donald Trump despite a trade agenda that makes selling produce to foreign countries more difficult and less profitable, Bloomberg reported. The United States’s ongoing trade war with China is a primary concern for U.S. farmers that sell crops, especially soybeans, overseas. While Trump’s view…
Read MoreCommentary: Contrary to Some Conservatives’ Slavish Devotion Free Trade Dogma, Trade Deficits Do Matter
by Spencer P. Morrison Steve Hanke recently set out to prove “why President Trump’s trade message and protectionist policies are rubbish” in a Forbes article. Instead, the Johns Hopkins University economist exposed himself as a word-mincing, logic-twisting sophist – just like every other intellectual mercenary associated with the faux-libertarian propaganda mill that is the…
Read MoreTrump Tax Cuts Spur Unexpectedly High State Revenues
by Evie Fordham The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act touted by President Donald Trump is one of three reasons that at least 19 states are reporting unexpectedly high general fund revenue halfway through fiscal year 2019, tax policy expert Adam Michel told The Daily Caller News Foundation Thursday. “Trump…
Read MoreMinnesota’s Economy is ‘Unimpressive’ and Heading in the Wrong Direction, Report Finds
Gov.-elect Tim Walz (D-MN) would probably disagree, but the state of Minnesota’s economy “continues to be unimpressive” and presents cause for “concern about the future,” according to the Center of the American Experiment. Minnesota’s leading think tank released its annual “The State of Minnesota’s Economy” report Tuesday, and found that…
Read MoreHerman Cain Commentary: Five Things We Can Be Thankful For in the Trump Era
by Herman Cain It’s the season of gratitude and time to take measure of the great ways we can appreciate all that we have as Americans. Here are five things that Donald Trump has done for our country, for which we can all be grateful as one nation. Historic Prosperity…
Read MoreFed Likely to Keep Rates on Hold and Sketch A Bright Outlook
With the economy strong, wages rising and unemployment at a near-five-decade low, the Federal Reserve remains on track to keep raising interest rates – just not this week. After the Fed’s latest policy meeting, it’s expected to signal a healthy outlook for the economy but to hold off on any…
Read MoreNewt Gingrich Says the Booming Economy and Personal Safety Will Keep GOP in Hunt for the House
by Nick Givas Former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich said the booming economy and a strong desire for personal safety will keep the House in play for Republicans come Tuesday. “Well look, I think the number one thing that’s relevant to the vote tomorrow is the economy,” Gingrich said on…
Read MoreAnalysis: White House Releases Report Outlining the Problems of Socialism
by Joe Carter On Tuesday the White House released “The Opportunity Costs of Socialism,” a report outlining the “opportunity costs of socialism on the macro economy, including standards of living, and the impact on the Federal budget.” The following is a summary and anaysis of its findings. What is…
Read MoreChina’s Economy Isn’t What It’s Cracked Up to Be
by Gabriella Beaumont-Smith China is a rising economic power that will threaten the United States’ place as the world’s biggest economy. At least, that’s the narrative we’ve become familiar with. But does it really hold up? Economists use gross domestic product to measure the size and growth of national…
Read MorePresident Trump Tells China ‘No Deal’ on Trade
by Robert Romano “Now look, China wants to make a deal, and I say they’re not ready yet. I just say they’re not ready yet. And we’ve canceled a couple of meetings because I say they’re not ready to make a deal. We can’t have a one-way street. It’s…
Read MoreLarry Kudlow Shed Light On What Will Likely Be A Major Priority For Trump In 2019
by Michael Bastach White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said President Donald Trump is likely to make building oil and natural gas pipelines a major priority next year to meet the needs of booming U.S. energy production. A focus on pipelines would hit two aspects of Trump’s agenda: energy…
Read MoreCommentary: Republicans Learning the Hard Way a Great Economy Ain’t Enough Anymore
by Jeffery Rendall In the 2016 presidential election’s stretch run Hillary Clinton famously asked during an interview, “Why aren’t I 50 points ahead?” American voters knew the answer and shared it with the former first lady and legacy Democrat presidential candidate on Election Day. Clinton did end up a couple points…
Read MoreTrump Proves Tariffs, Threat to Leave NAFTA Were Key Leverage to Negotiating USMCA, Puts Dems in Tight Spot
by Robert Romano They said it couldn’t be done. Once again, President Donald Trump is racing circles around his critics and showing that his tariff policy and the threat of leaving NAFTA altogether were most effective inducements to trade concessions, having resulted in the new U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or the USMCA. The…
Read MoreAnalysis: President Trump Uses the Power of Tariffs to Correct Unfair Chinese Trade Imbalances
President Donald Trump is levying 10 percent tariffs on $200 billion of Chinese goods shipped to the U.S., rising to 25 percent in Jan. 2019, coming atop a 25 percent tariff on $50 billion of goods from China. Trump has warned if China retaliates, another $267 billion of tariffs will follow. On…
Read MoreGreat Economic News Bedevils Trump Detractors
by Rick Manning The incredibly positive economic data that keeps coming out from both private and public sector sources leads to one overriding question: Will the Trump economic detractors ever get tired of being wrong? Over the course of the past six months, we have heard how tariffs against the…
Read MoreCommentary: Immigrants Won’t Pay for Our Pensions – We’ll Pay for Theirs
by Spencer P. Morrison Ask any Democrat why they support open borders and invariably they will respond with one of two pre-packaged answers: because “diversity is our strength” or “we need immigrants to pay for our pensions.” The first argument is a sham: if liberals valued diversity they would…
Read MoreThis Economy Belongs to President Trump, not Former President Obama
by Robert Romano You got to give former President Barack Obama credit, at least he’s consistent. When he came into office, the economy was in a deep recession that began when financial markets crashed in 2008, and, he said, he was blameless for the 8 million job losses that occurred,…
Read MoreCommentary: President Trump’s Pro-American Worker Push Makes Labor Day a Time to Celebrate
by Jeffery Rendall Perhaps it’s fitting heading into Labor Day weekend that we should talk about jobs – not necessarily how many Americans have them versus those that don’t and are still searching, but how conditions are improving in the employment market and who’s reaping the benefits. First came…
Read MoreIn An Effort to Stem Out-of-Control Hyperinflation, Venezuela Cuts ‘Five Zeros’
Reuters Venezuela on Monday slashed five zeros from prices as part of a broad economic plan that President Nicolas Maduro says will tame hyperinflation but critics call another raft of failed socialist policies that will push the chaotic country deeper into crisis. Streets were quiet and shops were closed…
Read MoreContrary to Nervous Nellie ‘Economic Experts,’ the Trump Economy is Booming with Elevated Aluminum and Steel Prices
By Robert Romano One of the conventional wisdoms to do with the tariffs and duties levied by the Trump administration on steel, aluminum and lumber is that they will lead to higher prices and inflation, hurting producers and consumers, thus stunting economic growth. For example, billionaire Charles Koch warned on July…
Read MoreImproving Economy In US Could Predict Next Baby Boom
by Jessica Kramer The U.S. saw a 30-year record low for birth rates in 2017, but the country’s increasingly prosperous economy could soon lead to a surge in childbirth. A Gallup poll showed 70 percent of American adults on average preferred having three or more children between 1938 and…
Read MoreTrump Touts Strong 2nd Quarter US Economic Growth
by William Gallo U.S. President Donald Trump touted the economy’s strong second quarter performance Friday, saying “we’re on track to hit the highest annual average growth rate in over 13 years.” The U.S. economy grew at a 4.1-percent annualized rate in the second quarter, its fastest pace in nearly four…
Read MoreAnalysis: The Trump Economy Booms in Q2 with 4.1 Percent Growth, But There’s Plenty to Do to Break 3 Percent for the Year
By Robert Romano After a rip-roaring 4.1 percent inflation-adjusted economic growth for the second quarter of 2018, the economy under President Donald Trump is making tremendous progress to full recovery, after more than a decade of stagnant growth. The U.S. economy has not grown above 4 percent since 2000, and not above…
Read MoreTrump, EU Leader Agree to Work Toward ‘Zero Tariffs’
by Fred Lucas In what President Donald Trump called “a very big day for free and fair trade,” he and the leader of the European Union agreed Wednesday to work to end tariffs on nonautomotive products. European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and Trump met at the White House, then…
Read MoreChina’s Unconventional Multi-Front War on the United States
by Printus LeBlanc China has a strategy unlike any the U.S. has faced. In the Cold War with the Soviet Union, it was military force versus military force. China learned a lesson from the USSR and is taking an asymmetrical approach in dealing with the U.S. Yes, China is…
Read MoreThe Battle To Repeal An Obama-Era Regulation On Trucks Heats Up
by Michael Bastasch The battle over the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) plan to repeal an Obama-era regulation has been reignited. The Sierra Club, Environmental Defense Fund and Center for Biological Diversity sued EPA on Tuesday to prevent the agency from repealing regulations on refurbished truck engines, called glider kits. Their suit…
Read MoreJust Facts Think Tank President: The True Effects of Regulations on the Economy
by James D. Agresti In a New York Times article about President Trump scaling back regulations, reporters Binyamin Appelbaum and Jim Tankersley report “there is little historical evidence tying regulation levels to” economic growth. They support this sweeping claim only with a quote from Jared Bernstein, a former chief economic adviser to…
Read MoreRobots Will Continue to ‘Take Jobs,’ and Humans Will Continue to Create More
by Joseph Sunde Given the breakneck pace of improvements in automation and artificial intelligence, fears about job loss and human obsolescence continue to consume the cultural imagination. The question looms: What is the future of human work in a technological age? Innovators such as Elon Musk and Bill Gates have done their share…
Read MoreTrump and Environmentalists Are On The Same Wave Length On This One Huge Issue
by Chris White President Donald Trump and activists at the Sierra Club apparently have at least one issue in common: neither one of them like the decades-old free trade agreement the U.S signed with Canada and Mexico. Trump’s agenda prioritizing American manufacturing jobs over those in Canada and elsewhere is placing…
Read MoreChina Scrambles To Blunt The Force Of Trump’s Tariffs With Over $100 Billion Injection
by Hannah Bogorowski China’s central bank announced late Sunday that it is planning to unleash nearly 700 billion yuan ($107.5 billion) into the financial system by cutting the amount of cash some banks must hold as reserves by 50 basis points. The People’s Bank of China (PBOC) said on…
Read MoreNational Poll: Over Half Of Americans Happy With Economy Under Trump
by Michael Sandoval A majority of Americans approve of the economy under President Trump despite controversial immigration policies, according to a CNBC poll released Monday. CNBC’s All-American Economic Survey found 51 percent approve of the economy, an increase of six points since March. Fifty-four percent of Americans rated the economy…
Read MoreHow Restrictive Labor Laws Keep Puerto Rico’s Economy Down
by Rachel Greszler An economic crisis has engulfed Puerto Rico. The Financial Oversight Management Board, a federally-mandated advisory group, has worked to help Puerto Rico deal with its financial crisis and establish policies that will lead to long-run growth. The board says Puerto Rico must reform its labor market to…
Read MoreFor Q2 to Get Back on Track, 4.1 Percent GDP Growth Is the Magic Number
By Robert Romano When President Donald Trump stood for election in 2016, he set a national goal of getting the U.S. economy to grow 4 percent annually, and maybe even greater than that. Speaking to the Economic Club of New York on Sept. 15, Trump said, “it’s time to establish…
Read MoreOFF THE RECORD: President Trump Singlehandedly Delivers the Most Eyebrow-Raising G7 Trade Summit Ever
After years of mundanity surrounding the G7 world trade summit – the once-a-year snore-fest where the six, or seven, (or eight) leaders of the West come together as frenemies to see who can pick each others’ pockets most stealthily – we were treated to perhaps the most entertaining piece of political…
Read MoreTennessee Adds 45,000 Jobs Over Past Year
Tennessee’s unemployment rates remain low and the state added 45,000 jobs the past year, the National Federation of Independent Business said. According to the March 2018 numbers from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development, 82 of the state’s 95 counties saw lower unemployment rates that month than they…
Read MoreA Record Number Of Small Businesses Are Raising Wages Amid Tight Labor Market
by Will Racke A greater share of small companies in the U.S. are raising wages than at any time in the past three decades, according to a survey released Thursday from the nation’s biggest independent business association. A seasonally adjusted 35 percent of small business owners reported they have increased…
Read MoreCommentary: President Trump Follows Through on Steel and Aluminum Tariff Threat Against Canada, Mexico and Europe
By Robert Romano He did it. In his continued push for “fair and reciprocal” trade, President Donald Trump has followed through on his promise to impose a 25 percent tariff on steel and 10 percent tariff on aluminum from Canada, Mexico and the European Union. The three had been temporarily excluded from…
Read MoreUS Slaps Tariffs on Steel, Aluminum from EU, Canada, Mexico
by Steve Herman The United States is escalating trans-Atlantic and North American trade tensions, imposing a 25 percent tariff on steel imports and a 10 percent tariff on aluminum imports from the European Union, Canada and Mexico that will go into effect on Friday. The move is prompting immediate retaliatory…
Read MoreTrump’s Tariffs At Work: Solar Company Plans New Factory In Georgia
by Jason Hopkins A foreign solar panel company is building a manufacturing facility in the U.S., marking the latest boost in the industry since President Donald Trump imposed tariffs on imported solar equipment. The White House’s recently enacted tariffs on solar panels appears to be working. Hanwha Q Cells Korea Corporation…
Read MorePresident Trump to Impose Tariffs on $50B of China’s Tech Goods
by Peggy Chang The White House says it plans to impose 25 percent tariffs on $50 billion of Chinese goods that contain “industrially-significant technology” as trade talks between United States and China continue. The White House said Tuesday the proposed tariffs are in response to China’s practices with respect…
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