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us trade

US Trade In December Was Too Much Oil

By |2020-02-05T15:48:30-05:00February 5th, 2020|Currencies, Economy, Federal Reserve/Monetary Policy, Markets|

After a stunningly bad October and November, the Census Bureau reports US imports rebounded in December 2019 on a seasonally-adjusted basis. Having fallen below $200 billion for the first time since October 2017, total imports of goods rose to $205.8 billion in the final month of last year. However, most of that increase, two-thirds of it, was due to “industrial [...]

Reduced Trade Terms Salute The Flattened Curve

By |2017-12-05T12:43:14-05:00December 5th, 2017|Bonds, Currencies, Economy, Federal Reserve/Monetary Policy, Markets|

The Census Bureau reported earlier today that US imports of foreign goods jumped 9.9% year-over-year in October. That is the second largest increase since February 2012, just less than the 12% import growth recorded for January earlier this year. In both monthly cases, however, the almost normal rates of increase which would have at least suggested moving closer to a [...]

A Five-year Further Slump Won’t/Can’t Be Cured Overnight

By |2016-12-13T18:21:12-05:00December 13th, 2016|Currencies, Economy, Federal Reserve/Monetary Policy, Markets|

When US exports were reported a few months ago to have risen (slightly) in August 2016, it was widely expected that that increase was the start of many to follow. It was, after all, the first positive number on the export side since the end of 2014 after more than a year and a half of nothing but contraction. In [...]

The No Growth In US Trade Does Matter

By |2016-11-30T16:49:14-05:00November 30th, 2016|Currencies, Economy, Federal Reserve/Monetary Policy, Markets|

While certain markets continue to dream of the economy that might be, we continue to be stuck with the economy that continues to be nothing like it. Last week the Census Bureau reported that exports fell slightly year-over-year in September 2016 after rising slightly in August for the first positive number in two years. On the import side, marginal US [...]

The Chinese Counterpoint To Payroll Friday

By |2016-08-08T12:16:42-04:00August 8th, 2016|Currencies, Economy, Federal Reserve/Monetary Policy, Markets|

Under traditional “rules”, devaluing of a currency is supposed to bring about a measurable, even obvious increase in the export sector of the country undertaking the manipulation. The Japanese have been notorious for believing in the paradigm, and not just in the past four years under QQE and the whispers of it. Some people still believe that China is merely [...]

The Far More Meaningful Counterpoint To Payroll Friday

By |2016-08-05T18:31:36-04:00August 5th, 2016|Currencies, Economy, Federal Reserve/Monetary Policy, Markets|

In early 2005, the US Senate began debating a bill seeking to impose a broad 27.5% tariff on Chinese exports to the United States. Congress was emotionally moved by the supposed problem of pegging the yuan to the dollar, then at about 8.28 CNY for every USD. In reality, the problem wasn’t so much dollars as “dollars”, meaning that because [...]

Slowdown Continues; Lost Time Accumulates

By |2016-04-05T12:50:02-04:00April 5th, 2016|Currencies, Economy, Federal Reserve/Monetary Policy, Markets|

US trade statistics for February improved in both exports and imports, but there are questions as to the reason for the reverse and whether it is actually meaningful. After abysmal performance in every segment and category in January, there was some give back in February including positive numbers in some places. That suggests that January’s trade activity might have been [...]

The US Economy Restrains Itself; No Need For Monetary Policy Influence

By |2016-01-07T17:18:48-05:00January 7th, 2016|Economy, Federal Reserve/Monetary Policy, Markets|

The Census Bureau released its estimates for November US trade. It was yet another debacle for the FOMC narrative about an economy poised to overheat. November was the month in between the two FOMC meetings where they first declared (October) risks diminished and then (December) recovery conditions fully met. Instead, both exports and imports in that interim shrunk considerably, casting [...]

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