Capital Spectator: Investing, Asset Allocation, and Economic Insights

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        <p><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1108476953/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=1108476953&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=bookscs-20&amp;linkId=7b678d59f75c5ce25c4af7783d519857" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img decoding="async" class="alignleft" src="https://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&amp;MarketPlace=US&amp;ASIN=1108476953&amp;ServiceVersion=20070822&amp;ID=AsinImage&amp;WS=1&amp;Format=_SL250_&amp;tag=bookscs-20" border="0"/></a><img decoding="async" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=bookscs-20&amp;l=am2&amp;o=1&amp;a=1108476953" alt="" width="1" height="1" border="0"/>● <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1108476953/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=1108476953&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=bookscs-20&amp;linkId=57fd372ba742596a236d202375c21e25" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Trade and American Leadership: The Paradoxes of Power and Wealth from Alexander Hamilton to Donald Trump</a><img decoding="async" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=bookscs-20&amp;l=am2&amp;o=1&amp;a=1108476953" alt="" width="1" height="1" border="0"/><br/>By Craig VanGrasstek<br/><strong><a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/trade-and-american-leadership/66BDC4452AAD53CC42ADF81F01697B32#fndtn-information">Summary</a> via publisher (Cambridge University Press)</strong><br/>From the era of Alexander Hamilton to Donald Trump's trade conflicts, trade policy has consistently played a crucial role in shaping American power and prosperity. The open trading framework established by the United States post-World War II has favored US interests by fostering collaboration and economic growth, but it equally empowers allies and enables China's ascent. Case studies within *Trade and American Leadership* reveal how the benefits of preferential trade arrangements are diminished by the multilateral liberalization championed by the US over generations. Furthermore, they illustrate that trade sanctions often prove to be either prohibitively expensive to implement or insufficient to make a significant impact. These challenges are aggravated by a domestic political landscape where the benefits of trade are inequitably distributed, governance is fragmented, and strategic efforts are often thwarted. This work places particular importance on current challenges, highlighting the rising threat of economic nationalism.<br/><a href="https://www.capitalspectator.com/book-bits-16-february-2019/#more-11758" class="more-link">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span></a></p>
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        By James Picerno | <a href="https://www.capitalspectator.com/book-bits-16-february-2019/" title="7:46 am" rel="bookmark"><time class="entry-date" datetime="2019-02-16T07:46:23-05:00">February 16, 2019</time></a>                                             </footer><!-- .entry-meta -->
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        <p>The unexpected <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/02/14/us-retail-sales-drop-in-december.html">decline in retail sales in December</a> has cast doubt on the anticipated forthcoming report concerning fourth-quarter gross domestic product (GDP). Prior to yesterday's consumer spending update for December 2018, most forecasts projected moderate growth in the mid-to-high 2% range for Q4. However, following the retail sales data release, the St. Louis Fed's <a href="https://www.frbatlanta.org/cqer/research/gdpnow.aspx">GDPNow model</a> revised its Q4 outlook down to a sluggish 1.5%. This forecast is currently an outlier on the downside. The pressing question now is whether other sources will also adjust their GDP forecasts downward in light of the latest retail performance data.<br/><a href="https://www.capitalspectator.com/weak-retail-spending-in-december-weighs-on-us-q4-gdp-outlook/#more-11771" class="more-link">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span></a></p>
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        By James Picerno | <a href="https://www.capitalspectator.com/weak-retail-spending-in-december-weighs-on-us-q4-gdp-outlook/" title="7:34 am" rel="bookmark"><time class="entry-date" datetime="2019-02-15T07:34:04-05:00">February 15, 2019</time></a>                                           </footer><!-- .entry-meta -->
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        <p><span style="color: #0000ff;">Congress sends legislation to Trump to prevent a government shutdown: <a style="color: #0000ff;" href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-02-15/congress-sends-trump-bill-to-avert-shutdown-amid-emergency-plan?srnd=premium">Bloomberg</a></span><br/><span style="color: #0000ff;">Legal challenges anticipated following Trump's declaration of a national emergency: <a style="color: #0000ff;" href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-shutdown-emergency-explainer/explainer-trump-risks-legal-fight-with-emergency-threat-on-wall-idUSKCN1Q333E">Reuters</a></span><br/><span style="color: #0000ff;">US-China trade discussions are ongoing, but no resolution reached yet: <a style="color: #0000ff;" href="https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/2186338/china-and-united-states-make-progress-beijing-trade-war-talks">SCMP</a></span><br/><span style="color: #0000ff;">As federal debt reaches historic highs, politicians remain silent: <a style="color: #0000ff;" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/15/us/politics/national-debt-trump.html">NY Times</a></span><br/><span style="color: #0000ff;">China’s banks report record lending in January to stimulate the economy: <a style="color: #0000ff;" href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-economy-loans/chinas-banks-throw-open-spigots-in-january-lend-record-323-trillion-yuan-idUSKCN1Q40TJ">Reuters</a></span><br/><span style="color: #0000ff;">Amazon cancels its New York City headquarters plans: <a style="color: #0000ff;" href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/amazon-cancels-hq2-plans-in-new-york-city-11550163050?mod=hp_lead_pos5">WSJ</a></span><br/><span style="color: #0000ff;">US jobless claims increased last week, remaining at elevated levels: <a style="color: #0000ff;" href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-02-14/u-s-jobless-claims-unexpectedly-rise-after-shutdown-ends">Bloomberg</a></span><br/><span style="color: #0000ff;">US business inventories decreased in November: <a style="color: #0000ff;" href="https://www.marketwatch.com/story/business-inventories-in-the-us-decline-01-in-november-2019-02-14">MW</a></span><br/><span style="color: #0000ff;">US Producer Price Index fell for the second consecutive month in January: <a style="color: #0000ff;" href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-economy-inflation/us-producer-prices-drop-for-second-straight-month-idUSKCN1Q31Y2">Reuters</a></span><br/><span style="color: #0000ff;">US retail spending experienced a notable decline in December–the largest drop in over nine years: <a style="color: #0000ff;" href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/02/14/us-retail-sales-drop-in-december.html">CNBC</a></span></p>