Connecting the Dots

The “Phase 1” US-China deal is signed, sealed, and delivered. Phase 2 is in the works but won’t happen any time soon. Investors celebrated anyway.

January is here, which means prediction time. What will the year bring?

We have a trade deal! Should we pop the champagne corks?

We all want to know the future. Unfortunately, the future isn’t talking. It’s just coming, like it or not.

Many young Americans struggle just to stay afloat. The difference between sinking and swimming often comes down to education. 

Wealthy Republicans—and even some Democrats—are worried about Elizabeth Warren. Specifically, they fear her wealth tax idea.

Every month, the government publishes inflation data. And with every report for the last decade, we’ve marveled at how low it is.

The House appears likely to impeach President Trump. The Senate will then decide if he stays in office.

The US government spent almost a trillion dollars more than it received fiscal 2019. And that’s just the official, on-budget deficit. Fair accounting would look even worse.

Yay, we have a trade deal! Tough negotiations worked! Well, maybe. It depends who you ask.

No one really likes paying taxes. At best, we wish we got more for our money. A tax system should raise the necessary revenue fairly and with minimal economic distortion. Things go off the rails when governments use tax policy to reward (or punish) certain behaviors.

Economic growth isn’t random. It comes from individual decisions to buy, sell, or do nothing. We all make dozens every day. Corporate CEOs and CFOs make bigger decisions, like whether thousands of people get hired or a factory gets built.