11 October 2018 After years of describing NAFTA as "the worst trade deal in history", the Trump Administration along with Canada and Mexico signed the US Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA). The White House, naturally, hails the accord as a historic triumph for American workers and farmers. Critics view the deal as a simple rebranding of [...]
22 July 2018 President Trump has taken aim at Europe. In reality, however, most of his ire has been directed at Germany. The President objects to America's $66bn bilateral trade deficit (the fourth largest amongst US trading partners), as well as Germany's failure to meet its NATO spending commitment. During his recent European trip, he [...]
17 April 2018 As with any disputed relationship, there are three sides to every story: my version, their version, and the truth. So it is with the deepening Sino-American bilateral trade conflict. In order to reach a workable resolution to the current dispute (which I fully expect), policymakers on both sides need to consider the [...]
President Trump will use his Asia trip to discuss America's swollen trade deficits with the region. Trade imbalances are caused by macro factors: America saves too little, Asia saves too much. This Chart, however, does indicate that America's penetration of some key Asian markets is far lower than their access to the US market. China [...]