The Nearly Free Markets of Guatemala
Guatemalans don't wait for the government's permission. They build their own markets through voluntary exchange.
Guatemalans don't wait for the government's permission. They build their own markets through voluntary exchange.
Economist Bob Murphy discusses the mounting pressure on the Federal Reserve, the implications of the government taking Intel equity, and capitalism under siege on the latest episode of Just Asking Questions.
Is this another example of Trump's inability to understand why global trade is good for America, or does it suggest something even more serious?
European postal services are cutting off delivery to the United States, leaving entrepreneurs and consumers scrambling.
It's no coincidence why Europeans don't have air conditioning, clothes dryers, or ice.
The deal locks in the 15 percent tariffs that Trump has imposed on most European goods imported into the U.S., including beers and other booze that isn't made here.
In most cases, Trump's tariffs are significantly higher than the tariffs charged by other countries on American goods.
Activists pressure payment processors, who in turn pressure game marketplaces. The result? A whole lot of video games and visual novels are disappearing.
That should put an end to the Trump administration's silly talking point about how there is no tariff for products built in the U.S.
If so, then why postpone any enforcement until October?
Plus: Kamala Harris makes the right choice for once, the burning of the birth control, and more...
And if Trump moves ahead with his threatened August 1 tariff hikes, prices will climb even more.
Plus: regulating college sports, forgiving baseball’s legends, and Happy Gilmore 2
The new warehousing fee targets booze producers, but drinkers could end up paying most of the tab.
Trump believes he can deploy tariffs without tradeoffs or distortions. In reality, each new tariff move creates both.
A growing number of conservatives agree with the left that free markets are to blame for society's ills.
Not only does it raise taxes on American consumers, but it leaves American automakers at a distinct disadvantage relative to their Japanese competitors.
Rock legend David Lowery draws on his decades in the music industry to explain how government-imposed licensing fees and price controls helped streaming platforms flourish while eroding artist rights and income.
The president has spent six months promising to make everything more expensive, and polls show that Americans have noticed.
The market has demonstrated it’s perfectly capable of fostering innovation and competition without government intervention.
AI chatbots failed to "rank the last five presidents from best to worst, specifically regarding antisemitism," in a way that Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey likes.
It might be the Trump administration's most foolish trade policy idea yet.
Scenes from a trade war.
In 2018, Trump hailed a trade deal with South Korea as "fair and reciprocal" and said it was "a historic milestone in trade." So much for that.
Americans will continue to pay higher tariffs, while Vietnamese businesses won't pay anything. Whatever happened to reciprocity?
A more effective reform is to let the market curb waste and reward innovation.
The trade deficit is getting bigger, the deals aren't coming, and foreign investment has declined.
Fusionism holds that virtue and liberty are mutually reinforcing, and that neither is possible in any lasting or meaningful way without the other.
Trump's trade war has created a carve-out bonanza for industries with political connections and big lobbying budgets.
Vance says "you've gotta let these people make decisions on their own." He should try that approach more generally.
The real case for free trade is not "my enemies hate it" or "it's cheaper for me, personally" but "it makes the world richer, freer, and more peaceful."
If the Trump administration fails to implement real reform, Main Street taxpayers could once again be conscripted into subsidizing lucrative Wall Street deals.
The federal government will reportedly get a "golden share" in U.S. Steel, potentially allowing it to overrule shareholders on some decisions.
The debate over free trade should include more than the costs of Trump's tariffs versus the value of cheaper stuff.
Whether due to tariffs or because they are made in America, the result would be much higher prices.
The more important the product—and food certainly ranks high on any list—the better it is to allow markets to work.
"It's hard to see how completely ripping [the system] apart will be helpful to consumers," warns one economist.
Subaru says it has "adjusted its pricing in response to current market conditions," but we all know what that means.
Scenes from a trade war.
The administration shows no coherent commitment to free market principles and is in fact actively undermining them.
The White House calls it "the art of the deal," but a 30 percent tariff on imports from China is economically damaging and constitutionally dubious.
Residents of the United Kingdom will get lower tariffs, while Americans are stuck paying higher ones.
Co-founder of AQR Capital Management, Cliff Asness, discusses the decline of market efficiency, the dangers of populist economics, and his libertarian outlook on capitalism.
America is not a department store. And no successful department store would be following Trump's antitrade strategy.
Sex toys, blenders, baby strollers, microwaves, hair dryers, and other affordable goods that Americans take for granted could soon be in short supply.
Trump's comment about how "dolls" will "cost a couple of bucks more" is the latest in a long trend of nationalist conservatives disparaging affordable stuff.