By Robert Romano “The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) will provide new market access for Made-in-America goods and services.” That is the U.S. Trade Representative’s description of a new proposed trade agreement between the U.S. and Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam, which the White House is asking Congress for fast track authority to […]

By Robert Romano While the headline 5 percent real growth annualized in the third quarter has garnered much of the attention from the Bureau of Economic Analysis’ latest report published last week, it may be premature to proclaim that a robust economic expansion is upon us. When the 2.1 percent contraction in the first quarter is taken into account, the economy has only grown at a tepid 2.7 percent rate in the […]

By Robert Romano Most rational observers should agree that in order to create jobs and boost wages, the economy must grow. That is certainly true. However, because government spending is included as a part of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) published by the Bureau of Economic Analysis, […]

By Robert Romano The Senate Budget Committee Republicans tweeted out an interesting piece from the New York Times’ Claire Cain Miller , which in part notes a dramatic drop in labor force participation in the U.S. economy. It quoted a key portion of the piece : “More than 16 percent of men between the ages of 25 and 54 are not working, up from 5 percent […]

  By Robert Romano So far, the story that has been written on the dramatic drop in the price of oil has been that of an increase of supply. This part is true, based on data compiled by the Energy Information Agency. Worldwide production of oil is in fact up year over year as of August , from 89.9 million barrels […]

By Rick Manning The free market miracle that is U.S. domestic energy production keeps going as domestic oil production, particularly that generated by hydraulic fracturing shale, has produced a massive economic stimulus. How much stimulus?  CNN/Money quotes Stephen Stanley, Chief Economist Amherst Pierpont as pinpointing it at $1 billion […]

By Robert Romano Bank bailouts. It is one of those issues where the left meets the right. Something so universally despised from the tea party to Occupy that for a politician to come within ten feet of the issue might be to eventually risk a primary challenge. […]

By Robert Romano A picture is worth a thousand words. “Walmart: Now hiring, $17 per hour.” No, that is not Photoshopped. It is an actual help wanted sign from Williston, N.D. The story is the shale oil boom taking place there that has resulted in an explosion […]

By Robert Romano The saying “so goes retail” should be ringing in everyone’s ears as we head into the Christmas shopping season, kicking off with so-called Black Friday on November 28 — the day retailers supposedly go “in the black” after being “in the red” all year […]