CERF Blog

California Trade data continue to reveal a strengthening that initially occurred late last year.  First quarter container loadings, inbound plus outbound at Los Angeles and Long Beach Ports, were up 14.6 percent from the prior year. California’s 2010 first-quarter exports were up 44 percent from the prior year, following a 29 percent year-on-year increase in… Read more

A lot of people who watch trade flows think that the United States is making a mistake by losing its manufacturing activities to other countries. They recognize that other countries can provide some manufactured goods at lower cost than the United States, lowering costs for consumers, and they recognize that free trade levels the playing… Read more

The FED’s response to the last year’s financial collapse has drawn criticism from all fronts. We’ve contributed to the criticism in small ways. In particular, we don’t like the idea of too-big-to-fail and were unhappy when companies were saved from the axe of failure in the marketplace. Bernanke, though, has brought real and valuable innovations… Read more