December 18, 2019 United States: U.S. Warns Europe That Trade Imbalances Are a 2020 Priority “Fresh off a pair of wins with China and USMCA, President Donald Trump’s top trade official is shifting his focus toward to the biggest target of them all: the European Union. “We have a very unbalanced relationship with Europe,” U.S. Trade Representative
Date: December 17, 2019 United States: Fed Alumni Fear Crisis Risk in Simultaneous Cuts to Rules, Rates “The Federal Reserve is running the risk of fomenting an eventual financial crisis by easing banking regulations at the same time that it’s cut interest rates. So say some former Fed officials, including ex-Vice Chairman Alan Blinder and
Date: December 16, 2019 United States: Trump Trade Deal Buys Xi Time Before Next U.S.-China Battle “For Chinese President Xi Jinping, the phase-one trade deal with U.S. President Donald Trump isn’t exactly a reason to pop open the champagne. After months of arduous negotiations, false starts and dashed hopes, the agreement announced on Friday night
December 13, 2019 United States: Trump Signs Off on China Trade Deal to Avert December Tariffs “President Donald Trump signed off on a phase-one trade deal with China, averting the Dec. 15 introduction of a new wave of U.S. tariffs on about $160 billion of consumer goods from the Asian nation, according to people familiar
December 12, 2019 United States: Trump Keeps China Planners Guessing on Trade War’s Next Steps “Chinese leaders who gathered in Beijing this week to chart a course for economic policy next year are used to doing so with precision, right down to the percentage point. At the confab — a byproduct of Communist central planning — President
Date: December 11, 2019 United States: Fed Dots May Yield Clue on Split Over Pause: Decision Day Guide “While Jerome Powell is expected to reinforce the signal that policy is on hold at the central bank’s meeting on Wednesday, some of his colleagues may be looking ahead to when they should hike again. The Federal
December 10, 2019 United States: U.S. Small-Business Sentiment Climbs Most in More Than a Year “Sentiment among small U.S. businesses climbed by the most in more than a year as more owners said profit trends are looking up and that it’s a favorable time for expansion, adding to signs that a key part of the
December 9, 2019 United States: U.S. Wage Growth Eclipses Mortgage Rate for First Time Since 1972 “The U.S. economy reached an important milestone in October that ought to put it on a more sustainable footing going forward: wage growth eclipsed mortgage rates for the first time since 1972. Average hourly earnings for production and nonsupervisory
December 6, 2019 United States: Trump, Pelosi Both See Benefits in Swift House Impeachment “Speaker Nancy Pelosi has set her party in motion on a rapid path to the impeachment of Donald Trump, a timetable that fits with both her political imperatives and those of the president. Judiciary Committee Democrats will be working through the
Date: December 05, 2019 United States: U.S. Labor Market Is Helping Trump and Fed Be More Patient “The Federal Reserve and President Donald Trump may be at loggerheads over interest rates, but they have one thing in common right now: the resilient U.S. labor market is helping both be more patient. For the Fed, the November employment
