Over the last several decades, the global economy has become more interconnected than ever, but now everything is changing. The flow of goods between the number one economic power on the planet and the number two economic power on the planet is absolutely imploding, and that is going to have enormous implications on both sides of the Pacific. I have written quite a bit about the dramatic decline of U.S. imports, but the numbers show that U.S. exports are falling precipitously as well.
According to CNBC, there has been a 51 percent decline in exports at the Port of Portland and a 28 percent decline in exports at the Port of Tacoma… Continue reading
For years, our economy and our financial markets have been artificially propped up. Since 2008, politicians in Washington have added about 26 trillion dollars to the national debt, and bureaucrats at the Fed have pumped trillions of freshly created dollars into the financial system. If we could go back and undo just those two things, we would be living an economic horror show right now. 
The value of a dollar shouldn’t require much math. If you have $1, you have $1, right?
I bought the exact same lunch items for my granddaughter this week – same store, same brands, no special sales last week. Total? Up $10 just a few days ago, from $35 to $45. No bulk buys, no extras, just the usual stuff. How does this even happen?
China is normally the largest export market for U.S. agricultural products. In a typical year, we sell tens of billions of dollars worth of agricultural products to the Chinese, but now that door has been slammed shut thanks to the extremely high tariffs that China has imposed on U.S. imports. If that door is not reopened very soon, farmers all over the nation will be facing financial ruin due to massive financial losses that are already piling up. This is not a crisis that may or may not arrive someday – 
Silver has struggled to make meaningful gains despite gold’s sustained rally to fresh all-time highs. But while trade tariffs have muddied the waters and some correlations appear broken, some analysts still see the gray metal making big gains in the coming months. 
The Trump administration has tried to cultivate a reputation for preferring “Main Street over Wall Street.” Unfortunately, this image is belied by the administration’s renewed push for artificially low interest rates and monetary inflation. By embracing these policies, Trump has put himself squarely in the camp of “Wall Street over Main Street.”
