The Invisible Hand

The crisis in Japan has had a major impact on its economy but a minor one elsewhere, underscoring the country’s slipping prominence in the global economy. The earthquake, tsunami and ensuing nuclear crisis that plagued the northeastern coast of Japan have caused immeasurable human toll. Early predictions of its economic […]

The disaster in Japan has caused immeasurable human toll but as more numbers from March and April are released, its economic impact may prove less dire than first expected, at least for the rest of the world. A few weeks after the earthquake and tsunami hit the northeastern coast of […]

The trade deficit likely narrowed in February due to growth in exports. A consensus survey of 71 estimates show a median trade gap of $44 billion, a 5 percent decrease from January’s $46.3 billion. One indication that exports were strong in February is in the Institute for Supply Management’s (ISM) […]

For American farmers, the pending trade agreement with Panama is no longer about potential gains but about preventing the loss of existing export markets. Since 2007, when the agreement was signed, U.S. share of Panama’s agricultural imports has steadily declined, to 38 percent last year from 60 percent, according to […]

The U.S. trade deficit widened by an unexpected 15.1 percent to $46.3 billion in January due to a 5.2 percent jump in imports. Economists surveyed expected a gap of $41.5 billion. Higher purchases of capital goods, industrial supplies and auto pushed imports up to $214.1 billion. Capital goods imports of […]