U.S.

August 10th is a special event in the energy industry. It marks the tenth year since the famous Northeastern blackout plunged millions of people into total darkness. While some small pockets of the region escaped unscathed, the vast majority of the homes and businesses suffered some type of financial loss. The question is, ten years […]

July 8th marked the official commencement of the much anticipated Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership negotiations in Washington, DC. An eventual agreement could eliminate tariffs and curb superfluous rules and regulations that impede commerce and raise costs for businesses and consumers in the world’s largest economies. Those prospects make the effort worthy of our attention...

In a series of lawsuits spanning 10 countries over three plus years, technology giants Apple Inc. and Samsung Group have been fighting a high stakes international patent war. The heart of this and other patent wars revolves primarily around the infringement of technology patents used in both smart phones and tablet devices.

America’s “shale boom” is poised to revolutionize global energy markets. It could transform the nation from a longtime net oil importer into an export powerhouse. Consider that the 2012 increase in U.S. crude oil production, announced recently, was the largest not just in U.S. history, but the world.

(UPDATED) Before slightly rising in May, the U.S. unemployment rate consecutively declined from 7.9 percent in January to 7.5 percent in April. Good news, right? Unfortunately, the overall declining trend does not capture what’s actually happening. For example, the unemployment rate does not count those who become frustrated and stop looking for work, or account...

On February 13, 2013, the White House announced that the United States and the European Union would begin negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA) with the hope of reaching a deal by late 2014. The declared goal is to achieve duty-free trade on industrial and agricultural products, with certain exceptions.

Once again the Obama administration is picking winners and losers when it comes to energy. The president has vowed that America will be a net energy exporter. There’s only one roadblock: Obama himself.

Some folks may be wondering why Michigan, Ohio and Indiana are winning a disproportionate share of automotive assembly plant investments these days. If so, they need look no further than a new study of U.S. motor vehicle parts suppliers released in January by the Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association (MEMA) in collaboration with IHS Inc.

When companies must spend money to comply with an ever-increasing flood of federal regulations, they need to make cuts in other areas. This usually means holding off on job creation or even cutting their existing work force and employee hours. What does it cost American businesses to comply with excessive federal regulations? The Competitive Enterprise […]

As I tried to suppress my anger over the recent news unfolding regarding possible corruption within the Obama administration, I looked back to see if our Founding Fathers had anticipated this. It didn’t take long to find a quote from Thomas Jefferson, who wrote: “Experience has shown that even under the best forms of government […]

Despite a series of potentially damaging scandals, President Barack Obama continues to enjoy a positive net approval rating for his overall job performance and is viewed more favorably than the leaders of the opposition Republican Party on his handling of most issues of greatest concern to voters. Approval of Obama’s management of the economy, although […]

When dealing with the White House press corps, the Obama administration is unable to concisely and informatively react to so-called scandals. Whether its the continuing Benghazi investigation, the Justice Department’s tapping of AP phones, or the sensational revelations that conservative applications for tax-exempt status were given higher scrutiny and delay than other applications at the […]

As an exporter, I half-heartedly believed in President Obama’s proposal to double U.S. exports in five years. That pledge was made in his State of the Union address in 2010, which means the clock is ticking on his plan to double American exports from $1 trillion to $2 trillion by 2015. His National Export Initiative […]

The world is witnessing a profound economic initiative in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP): the regional free trade agreement under negotiation between the United States and ten countries in the Americas and Asia-Pacific region. It’s clear that a global free trade agreement, which includes the first and third largest economies, and all of NAFTA, will truly […]

The United States currently has an estimated 11 million immigrants who entered this country illegally. According to the National Research Council, the migration of these individuals into the United States costs American taxpayers $346 billion annually. Now we are starting to get a feel for the costs being absorbed by one sector — the U.S...

One of the hottest topics among people interested in either international trade or manufacturing is the apparent trend in backshoring: moving manufacturing back to the United States from abroad. This is exactly the opposite of the offshoring trend that took hold more than 20 years ago and resulted in the movement of production of many […]

If Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke steps down next year, his successor may be Janet Yellen. In a recent statement, she indicated that unemployment should become the priority for the Fed. It seems reasonable to want to aim all our policy guns at this plague. But many things that seem reasonable on the surface sometimes […]

After years of building what they hoped would boost profits by enhancing overseas operations, many U.S. manufacturers have become disillusioned by the lack of return on investment they had anticipated. Instead of finding cost-saving benefits overseas through outsourcing, they are finding headaches, which have spurred a growing number of American companies to head home and […]

It is still galling that this nation’s entrepreneurs and small businesses — our country’s job creators — don’t get any support. Our political parties rail against each other, determined not to let either side win. This is a giant roadblock toward economic security.

Combined, American exports of goods ($1.56 trillion) and services ($630 billion) reached nearly $2.2 trillion in 2012. This represents an increase of almost $93 billion or 4.4 percent over 2011. From 2011 through 2012, 35 states achieved merchandise export growth, 29 hit new records, and 20 of those states experienced growth of at least 5...