Economy

The Federal Reserve’s recent decision to forestall interest rate increases should give Congress the impetus to pass the Trans-Pacific Partnership on behalf of the U.S. economy. This clear sign by the Fed that U.S. economic growth continues to underimpress should have our representatives in Washington looking for ways to spur consumer activity. Free trade agreements […]

Media outlets love to highlight the next big thing. Trend spotters love to say they know about it, and investment bankers love to bet on it. As a twenty five year Silicon Valley veteran, I’m always astonished on how often they miss what’s big. That’s probably why, when the next big thing comes out, most […]

Remember the dot.com era in the U.S., especially 1999 to March 2000? Technology stocks ruled, valuations were outrageous, the economy was entering a new paradigm and “this time is different” justified prices. The Chinese markets have experienced the same hyperbolic price increases in the last 12 months.

It should not have come as a surprise that the majority of Greek voters opted not to accept more externally-imposed austerity by voting “no” in the Sunday, July 5th referendum. The election pollsters once again were proven wrong. It was not a close race with Greeks who wanted to remain in the Eurozone and add ...

For years, China has been accused of being a “currency manipulator” by deliberately undervaluing its currency to spur exports. Official bodies like the International Monetary Fund softened the language by using the term “misaligned currency” and used sophisticated techniques to gauge how far the yuan was from its fundamental equilibrium value.

The myth of decline dominates the narrative about U.S. manufacturing. Yet, the preponderance of evidence indicates that U.S. manufacturing, relative to the past and relative to other countries’ manufacturing sectors, excels by the metrics that speak to its current and future prospects. But it could be doing even better if Congress made some simple changes […]

For most U.S. business owners, it makes sense to put foreign invoicing and receivables in U.S. dollars. It’s simple and manageable. However, in today’s volatile foreign exchange market, this strategy may not be the ideal option for a number of reasons. As a result, the decision to invoice foreign customers in U.S. dollars should be […]

The skepticism was evident in conservative talk-show host Laura Ingraham’s voice when she referred to the working relationship between President Obama and Senate Majority Leader McConnell as a “burgeoning bromance.” Her sentiment is shared by a number of Republicans in Congress, who are unhappy that Senate and House leadership is working with the president to […]

Economic sanctions have long been used as the foreign policy tool of choice for nations where diplomacy has failed to yield desired results. Although widely used and despite the fact that some sanctions have remained in place for years, they generally fail to achieve their objectives. In fact, one of the most definitive studies covering...

Senate Democrats demonstrated once again that Congress just can’t see the forest for the trees. They have proven exactly why President Obama did not want the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement to be the focal point of a fight over Fast Track Authority. He was worried that a debate on Fast Track would devolve into […]

On Christmas Eve 1968, NASA astronaut Bill Anders, orbiting the moon on board Apollo 8, took the first photo of Earth rising over the horizon of another celestial body. Known as Earthrise, that photo is widely regarded as one of the most iconic photos of the 20th Century and is believed by many to have […]

The upcoming congressional debate over Trade Promotion Authority gives our elected officials in Washington the chance to create new opportunities and open new markets for American small businesses around the world. I, along with millions of other small-business owners, hope they succeed and pass this critical legislation.

The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) was passed by Congress in 2000. It was intended to boost the global competitiveness of sub-Saharan African nations by giving them duty-free access to the U.S. market for all goods covered under the Generalized System of Preferences, plus an additional 4,000 items. Fifteen years later, however, we haven’t […]

We are still in the grip of the Great Recession. Economic growth remains anemic and below its trend rate in most parts of the world. What’s more, this state of subdued economic activity has been with us for more than seven years. True to form, central bankers have steadfastly denied any culpability for creating the...

In this low interest rate environment, the search for yield is sending investors of all stripes to far flung places and uncharted territories looking for a decent return. These days, a “decent” return implies the investor has uncovered some form of magical alchemy that has enabled him or her to not only beat the market, […]

A new federal initiative is underway to leverage government data to help improve decision-making throughout the economy, and to facilitate the release of more information to the public. “As ‘America’s Data Agency,’ we are working to unleash more of the Commerce Department’s data to strengthen our nation’s economic growth,” says U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny […]

Manny Mencia, senior vice president for international trade and development at Enterprise Florida, is the guiding force behind one of America’s leading trade, export development, and foreign direct investment organizations. Mencia attributes much of Florida’s international success over the past two decades to the state’s decision to privatize its economic development activities.

<p>While many people around the world are counting America out, I&#8217;m not one of them. My message to America: it&#8217;s time to re-establish ourselves as a global powerhouse of trade and industry. That includes the creation of millions of good-paying jobs, a sound energy policy, access to capital for small business and, most of all, [&hellip;]</p>

For the first time in recorded history, many European countries, plus Japan, have experienced negative interest rates. Government bond yields on short-term debt, as well as debt up to 10-year maturity, have turned negative in many countries, including Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, Finland, Switzerland, Sweden and Japan. More than 25 percent of European sovereign bonds [&hellip;]

A snap election held in late January produced a decisive victory for Syriza. This leftist party pledged to force the IMF, the EU, and the European Central Bank — the so-called “troika” — to renegotiate the terms of agreements made by previous governments to obtain emergency loans totaling $280 billion, and gave its blessing to [&hellip;]