Trade and Foreign Exchange
Big Mac Index (11/2/2011)
The prices of Big Mac across countries could give an idea of the relative value of foreign currencies.
Big Mac Index (transcript) (11/18/2010)
The big mac index provides an interesting perspective into the determination of foreign exchange rates.
Border Patrol (2/27/2007)
To enhance profit, businesses often sell non-interoperable versions of the same products in different markets.
Byrding for Profit (6/25/2004)
U. S. shrimpers use anti-dumping protection to resist competitive pressure from more efficient Asian shrimp farmers and to gain de facto subsidy.
Dividing the Pie (5/13/2010)
Over-extended American consumers provided the ultimate market for consumer goods exported from low-wage countries that are willing to sell on credit.
Domestic Content (5/13/2010)
Economic stimulus might end up stimulating foreign economies more than the domestic economy when the US is so dependent on imports.
Easy Money Is Anything but Easy (2/22/2012)
Easy money has unintended consequences.
Farming the Wind (1/23/2010)
China is tapping US economic stimulus fund to build wind farms in the US.
Free Money? (5/12/2010)
The dollar as an international reserve currency allows the United States to pile up huge budget and trade deficits as export-surplus countries accumulate dollars for their foreign exchange reserves.
Gray Market (11/5/1999)
Gray markets appear when cheaper goods in one market are diverted to compete with more expensive but similar goods in another market.
Hedging Inflation with Prostitution (1/30/2015)
Prostitution has proven to be an effective hedge against high inflation induced by subsidies and price control in Venezuela.
Hong Kong Housing Boom (1/21/2010)
The low interest rates intended to stimulate the recessed US economy after the US housing bust in 2007 – 2009 have inadvertently led to a housing boom in Hong Kong when Hong Kong has to lower its interest rates to defend its dollar peg.
Hot Money (2/22/2012)
Speculative capital inflows have wreaked havoc in the destination economies.
Is China on a 'Gold Standard'? (2/24/2012)
Domestic inflation in China as well as yuan appreciation have boosted the prices of Chinese imports to the US.
Less than Meets the Eye (1/22/2010)
China’s apparent heavy dependence on exports for its GDP growth conceals the low value-added contents of its exports.
Moving Up by Staying Put (8/30/2001)
American companies are increasingly outsourcing back-office and software design work to highly skilled but lower-cost English-speaking foreign workers.
No Chicken Feet! (3/28/2013)
Chicken feet, long considered a waste product in the US, have become a profit center for the high-volume low-profit US chicken industry in the China export market. But the export trade is not exempted from political whims.
No Chicken Feet! (1/3/2013)
Chicken feet, long considered a waste product in the US, have become a profit center for the high-volume low-profit US chicken industry in the China export market. But this export trade is not exempted from political whims.
Sinking Dollar (1/21/2010)
The US dollar has been losing its value as an international reserve currency due to its persistent trade deficits.
Sugar Daddy (6/22/2006)
US subsidies to domestic sugar cane and sugar beet growers have resulted in huge collateral damage to domestic industries and overseas producers.
The Flipper Factor (6/29/1999)
Can free trade and environmental concern coexist?
To Revalue or Not to Revalue – The Yuan Story (1/23/2010)
The Chinese yuan may be under-valued against the US dollar, but yuan revaluation is unlikely to substantially reduce US trade deficit with China.
Too Global To Be National? (6/18/2010)
US multinationals fatten their bottom lines by arbitraging wages, taxes, and regulations across countries.
Trade Deficits (11/2/2011)
Trade deficits serve to fill domestic private saving gap and government budget gap.
Trade Deficits (transcript) (11/18/2010)
Trade deficits fund budget deficits and excessive consumption.
Trade Surplus Trap (6/18/2010)
Countries heavily dependent on exporting manufactured goods must deny their own citizens higher standard of living to maintain their trade surplus in an era of global wage arbitrage.
Your Technology or Your Market Access (2/8/2007)
In a buyer's market with many potential sellers, China exacts technology transfers as a condition of entry into its lucrative mass market.