China No Longer Biggest Trade Partner With U.S. – International Trade

Kent Forsey, CFP® Emerging Markets, Tariffs, Trade Policies

This is an important fact to remember with all the media focus on tariffs with China. The United States maintains a favorable trading relationship with many countries all over the world, yet only a handful encompass the bulk of all trading activity. For years, Mexico, China and Canada have been the top three trading partners with the United States, sending …

Macro Overview – August 2019

Kent Forsey, CFP® Bonds, Dow Jones, Economic Update, Economy, Euro, Macro Overview, Stock Indices, Tariffs, World Economies

Trade tensions escalated as the U.S. announced a 10% tariff commencing September 1st on $300 billion of Chinese imports that haven’t yet been subject to any tariffs.  The additional tariffs would essentially apply to nearly all imports from China.  Another $250 billion in Chinese imports have already been subject to a 25% tariff for the past few months. While this …

Macro Overview – June 2019

Kent Forsey, CFP® Mortgage Rates, Tariffs, Trade Policies, Treasury Bonds, Unemployment Rates

The “firehose” of information available nowadays makes it difficult to focus on what topics are really affecting the market.  Here is a good summary of this month’s most important issues. The ongoing trade dispute between the U.S. and China escalated in May as the U.S. signaled that it had not finalized a deal yet with China.  The lack of a …

When Taxes Replaced Tariffs – Historical Note

Kent Forsey, CFP® Tariffs, Taxes

November 2018 As a young country, the first of tariffs enacted to protect American business interests was the Tariff Act of 1789. The act was written to raise funds for the newly established government, reduce debt from the Revolutionary War, and protect U.S. companies from unfair foreign competition. At the time, Congress passed tariff amounts from 5% to as high …

What a Tariff on Steel and Aluminum Means

Kent Forsey, CFP® Economic Impact, Tariffs, Trade Policies

April 2018 Much has been made in the media recently about steel and aluminum tariffs.  Most of the news has been aimed at criticizing the President for something that would add to consumer costs of goods and services but there is more to the story. The Department of Commerce released a report in February prompting the President to enact tariffs …