The signing of the EU–Mercosur trade agreement constitutes a starting point — but an unholy alliance between protectionist politicians, agricultural lobbyists, and environmentalists may be forming.
If we stick to the data, regardless of which socioeconomic indicator we choose, it seems clear that the sharp economic downturn began long before 2017.
Car companies are building in Mexico rather than the United States, largely because it has freer trade than the United States does with the rest of the world.
Bob Murphy disagrees with Tucker Carlson's unambiguous approval of Elizabeth Warren’s call for “economic nationalism”.
Even if Trump and Xi both desire to reduce America's trade deficit with China, it's unlikely it will shrink in the short term.
It is the lethal combination of tariffs and the end of the expansionary phase of the credit cycle which should concern us.
It is not "the US" that imports Japanese or Chinese electrical appliances, but an individual from the US, or a group of Americans. They import these appliances because they believe that a profit can be made. And governments ought not interfere in these transactions.
Tariffs inflict harm on real people, empowering bureaucracy and the state, while destroying the rights of real-world entrepreneurs and consumers. Yet, some people claiming to support free markets are perfectly fine with this.
