Exceptions to Free Trade Orthodoxy?

Exceptions to Free Trade Orthodoxy?

When I spoke earlier this year at the Universidad de Libertad in Mexico City, I explained why Trump’s trade policy is mistaken (confirmed on “Liberation Day“). But I acknowledged near the end that there might be some exceptions to free trade....
Trade Deficit Illiteracy, Part II

Trade Deficit Illiteracy, Part II

I shared data yesterday showing how and why trade deficits don’t matter. Moreover, I shared data showing that countries with higher taxes on imports usually have higher trade deficits. Unfortunately, Trump and his team don’t understand trade. Instead,...
Trade Deficit Illiteracy, Part I

Trade Deficit Illiteracy, Part I

I’ve repeatedly shared a chart showing that a trade deficit is merely the flip side of an investment surplus. But that chart had data through 2017, so let’s look at a new version of the chart, courtesy of the Tax Foundation....