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February 2008
- Boom Time on Heartland Farms
  
  Wall Street Journal | Feb 15, 08 2:55 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - The US economy may be teetering on a precipice but agriculture is enjoying what one industry analyst is calling a "golden age" after decades of decline, with bountiful harvests of crops and profits. The boom is fueled by the soaring demand from ethanol producers and to fill grain orders from China and India, reports the Wall Street Journal . More »
- BBC NEWS | Business | Sharp jump in China trade surplus
  
  BBC | Feb 15, 08
  
  China's trade surplus soared 22.7% in January as the economy continued to boom despite efforts to cool the rate of growth, official figures have shown.The surplus - the gap between what China exports and what it imports - grew to $22.7bn (£11.5bn) last month, compared with $15.9bn a year earlier.
- BBC NEWS | Business | US annual trade deficit narrows
  
  BBC | Feb 14, 08
  
  The US trade deficit narrowed in 2007, official figures show, as a rise in exports offset the country's large growth in oil imports.The deficit reached $711.6bn (£361.1bn) last year, down from $758.5bn in 2006, the Commerce Department said.
- China Exports Inflation to US
  
  New York Times | Feb 1, 08 1:35 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - After years of pumping out cheap consumer goods, China is driving up American price tags, the New York Times reports. As costs rise domestically, prices down the supply chain rise at the same time that recession threatens in the US. “China has been the world’s factory,” said one economist. “But its heyday is over. We’re going to see higher prices.” More »
- Mideast Web Woes Persist as 3rd Cable Is Cut
  
  CNN | Feb 1, 08 1:18 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - A third cable carrying Internet traffic to the Mideast was cut today off the Persian Gulf emirate of Dubai, and web and phone service remained disrupted in large areas of the Mideast and India because of breaks in two cables in the Mediterranean Wednesday. The cables severed earlier carried as much as three-quarters of the traffic between Europe and the Mideast, so their loss was more serious, CNN reports. More »
January 2008
- Bush: Trade Key to US Recovery
  
  Wall Street Journal | Jan 31, 08 11:21 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - Saying "free trade means good-paying jobs for Americans," President Bush yesterday urged Congress to approve proposed deals with Colombia, Panama, and South Korea, the core of a trade agenda he feels can revitalize a shaky US economy. Bush also offered to help lawmakers reshape benefits for workers who lose jobs to foreign competition, the Wall Street Journal reports. More »
- Economists Rethink Free Trade
  
  BusinessWeek | Jan 31, 08
  
  It's no wholesale repudiation, to be sure, but something momentous is happening as doubts begin to creep in.
December 2007
- Quality Boosts US Exports
  
  Washington Post | Dec 26, 07 12:55 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - The sinking dollar is fueling a booming export market in tractors, medical equipment, and electrical machinery, helping some US manufacturers overcome a falloff in domestic sales, reports the Washington Post. The trend may even help reduce the trade deficit: For 2007, US exports are projected to increase even more than the 12.7% they rose between 2005 and 2006. More »
- US Scores With Only $21M in WTO Sanctions
  
  Associated Press | Dec 21, 07 4:13 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - The WTO ruled today Antigua could impose $21 million in trade sanctions on the US because of an online betting ban, a significant loss for the Caribbean island that had sought $3.4 billion. The trade organization recognized the American authority to police public morals but said Washington could not hold domestic and foreign gamblers to different standards, the AP reports. More »
- 10 Firms Destined to Be Global Giants
  
  CNN | Dec 4, 07 2:10 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - American companies should sleep with one eye open: These firms may not be familiar right now, but they're poised to "reshape global industries," the Boston Consulting Group says. CNN lists 10 standouts, based on BCG's 2008 Global Challengers report. Johnson Electric (China): Produces small motors designed for cars and home appliances. More »
November 2007
- China Agrees to End Trade Subsidies: US
  
  Associated Press | Nov 29, 07 3:29 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - China agreed today to end trade measures the US had called “market-distorting”, the Associated Press reports, ending a months-long dispute before the world's top trade board. One set of tax breaks encourages Chinese firms to boost exports to the US and other countries; another set of tariffs made it tougher for US firms to export to China. More »
- Arabic, Asian Languages Gaining More US Students
  
  San Jose Mercury News | Nov 14, 07 10:00 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - American students are studying Arabic and Asian languages more than ever before, according to a Modern Language Association survey. Spanish has been the most studied language since 1995, still with more than 50% of students, but Arabic is fastest-growing, jumping 126.5% from 2002 to 2006—making up 1.5% of all language enrollments. Overall, modern language study was up 13%. More »
- Florida Juicer Puts Squeeze on Foreign Oranges
  
  Orlando Sentinel | Nov 9, 07 8:15 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - A Florida orange juice producer is starting an ad campaign to put the squeeze on imported citrus. The campaign by Florida's Natural is aimed primarily at major juice makers such Tropicana and Minute Maid, which rely heavily on Mexico and Brazil for oranges, the Orlando Sentinel reports. The latter nation replaced Florida in recent years as the world's orange king. More »
- Trade Deficit Nosedives Unexpectedly
  
  Bloomberg | Nov 9, 07 2:23 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - The weakening dollar has an economic silver lining, Bloomberg reports. The government today said the slumping currency helped boost US exports and unexpectedly narrow the trade deficit in September to its smallest level since May 2005. "Instead of being the drag that it has been for the last 15 years, trade is finally becoming a net positive,'' one economist says. More »
- Siemens, Banks Bow to US Pressure to End Iran Biz
  
  Guardian (UK) | Nov 9, 07 4:44 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - The Siemens company in Germany, one of the world's largest engineering operations, and the country's three largest banks are cutting business ties with Iran under White House pressure to get out or risk US interests. It's a sign that major European corporations are beginning to line up behind American economic pressure on Iran to give up its nuclear ambitions. More »
- House OKs Trade Deal With Peru
  
  New York Times | Nov 8, 07 4:27 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - Despite sharp criticism from labor leaders, environmentalists, and free-trade opponents, roughly half of House Democrats joined nearly all Republicans to pass a trade-liberalization agreement with Peru. Speaker Nancy Pelosi came out in favor of the deal, defying expectations that President Bush would find no friends for his trade policy in the current Congress, the New York Times reports. The Senate is expected to pass it, too. More »
October 2007
- Bush Vows Free Trade Push
  
  Wall Street Journal | Oct 12, 07 6:20 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - President Bush believes many Americans have lost confidence that they can compete in the world economy and he plans to champion his free trade agenda in the final months of his presidency, he told the Wall Street Journal . Bush also criticized excessive executive compensation, saying some salaries "send a signal of unfairness" and add to worries about the economy. More »
- Cargo Drop-off a Sign of Slow Economy
  
  Los Angeles Times | Oct 9, 07 8:02 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - A drop in cargo at US ports has stunned analysts, who call the 1.4% fall more evidence of a stalled economy. A few factors are keeping foreign cargo at bay—the low dollar, wary buyers, and a cool housing market among them—yet observers still expressed shock. "When I first saw these numbers, I asked if they had left a column out of the spreadsheet," said one. "I thought it was a typo." More »
- Dollar's Slide Softens Economy's
  
  Wall Street Journal | Oct 1, 07 1:44 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Even as the weakening US dollar has Americans dropping European vacation plans, some economists are finding a silver lining: A sudden upswing in exports that could help offset the tanking housing market. And while that jump was predictable, writes the Wall Street Journal, a limp greenback also works to slow one vital export: that of American jobs and factories. More »
September 2007
- Trade Gap Dips to Lowest Level in 3 Years
  
  Bloomberg | Sep 11, 07 9:25 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The US trade gap—the difference in total value between imports and exports—dropped to a 3-year low in July as exports jumped on a weak dollar and growing overseas demand. The figure fell 0.3% to $59.2 billion, roughly on par with the estimate economists surveyed by Bloomberg foresaw. Said one analyst, “the broad outlook for trade looks quite positive.” More »