The weekly trade report with L.C. In the foreign exchange market last week, the dollar plunged vs. the yen and euro. Today, March 9th, the dollar fell further against the euro. It was the worst weekly drop for the US currency in four years, and was accompanied by a dive in US government bond yields. […]
US threatens WTO existence but punts on auto import tariffs
Bloomberg News carried an explosive account of a November 12th meeting of the World Trade Organization Committee on Budget, Finance & Administration at which the US raised “the possibility of blocking the approval of the institution’s biennial budget and effectively halting its work starting next year.” If a budget isn’t approved by consensus of the […]
Federal Reserve shouldn’t set interest rates
President Trump has been widely criticized for coming out in opposition to further Federal Reserve’s interest rate increases. This supposedly violates the Fed’s independence from political manipulation. The independence of the Fed from politics is something of a myth, however. Furthermore, the Fed cannot help but be responsive to the President’s warning at this juncture, […]
