By Robert Romano “In light of the considerable degree of slack that remains in labor markets and the continuation of inflation below the Committee’s 2 percent objective, a high degree of monetary accommodation remains warranted.” That was Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen testifying before the Joint Economic Committee on May 7 . The message? The economy […]

By Robert Romano The U.S. trade deficit shrank slightly in March by $1.5 billion to $40.4 billion amid slight gains in exports for the month. Missing in the monthly and quarterly streams of data, however, is an understanding of overall trends. Here, the trade deficit has been […]

By Robert Romano In April, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the amount of people with jobs decreased by 73,000 . Yet, we are to believe that the unemployment rate dropped, from 6.7 percent to 6.3 percent. These are two irreconcilable data points. So, how did it happen? 964,000 people left the civilian labor force , which is to say, they gave […]

By Rick Manning It was as if entire city of San Jose, California dropped out of the labor force last month.  That’s what 988,000 people leaving the workforce in one month looks like.  It is more than the entire population of the state of Delaware, and almost […]

This is an excerpt from an article originally published on WashingtonTimes.com. By Jim Martin Liberals’ latest assault on consumer freedom could soon target the packet of sugar you put in your morning coffee. Like most big-government power plays, the main objective appears to be fattening government coffers […]

By Robert Romano “Like a black hole, cronyism bends the economy toward the state, inexorably shifting wealth and opportunity from the public to policymakers. The more power government amasses, the more privileges are bestowed on the government’s friends, the more businesses invest in influence instead of innovation, […]

By Robert Romano Since August 2007 when the financial crisis began, the Federal Reserve has expanded its balance sheet by more than $3.4 trillion — purchasing mortgage-backed securities and U.S. treasuries. The idea was and is to counteract the credit contraction that pulverized the global economy. But where’s the growth? As recently as March 19, 2014 , the Fed was projecting […]

By Robert Romano With increasing sanctions against Russia over its escalating incursion into Ukraine, the Kremlin may be poised to strike back — with a plan to dump its $126 billion of U.S. treasuries holdings to roil Western financial markets, financial blog Zerohedge.com warns . According to Zerohedge, “Russian presidential adviser Sergei Glazyev proposed plan of 15 measures […]

By Robert Romano What do we even need an Export-Import Bank for anyway? In 2013, the U.S. economy exported $2.271 trillion of goods and services , a $60.8 billion or 2.7 percent growth from 2012. In 2012, exports totaled $2.21 trillion, a $97.76 billion or 4.6 percent growth from 2011. Yet, almost none of the increases were because of […]

By Rick Manning E-cigarettes have become a source of consternation for anti-smoking lawmakers who quiver at the very thought of someone lighting up a tobacco product.  This knee-jerk reaction to the dramatic increase in the use of e-cigarettes in public is manifesting itself in places like Los […]