Free Republic

Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa has announced he will suspend tariffs on goods imported from the US in an attempt to build a "positive relationship" with President Donald Trump's administration. The move comes days after Trump imposed 18% tariffs on Zimbabwean exports to the US. "This measure is intended to facilitate the expansion of American imports within the Zimbabwean market, while simultaneously promoting the growth of Zimbabwean exports destined for the United States," he said on X. Zimbabwe has had strained diplomatic relations with the US since it adopted a controversial land policy about 25 years ago, and because of its...

Israel announced Tuesday that it would end all tariffs, or customs duties, on U.S. imports — just one day before President Donald Trump was set to announce reciprocal tariffs in a Rose Garden ceremony dubbed “Liberation Day.” A joint statement by the Prime Minister’s Office, Finance Ministry and Economy and Industry Ministry said: At the directive of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Economy and Industry Minister Nir Barkat, Israel has cancelled all of the customs duties that have been levied until now on products from the US, Israel’s largest trading partner. After the approval of the...

CHICAGO (CBS) -- The owner and an employee of a Near West Side store have been arrested on felony charges, after Cook County Sheriff's police recovered $2.4 million in stolen merchandise they allegedly were selling to customers. Sheriff's police said officers executed a search warrant at the Flee Club store in the 2200 block of West Taylor Street on July 2, after investigators discovered employees were knowingly buying stolen goods and reselling them at the store.

The goods and services American workers could afford with $100 in 2020 now cost $119.27, a recent Bloomberg report found. The increased prices will likely impact the 2024 election results since they come after President Joe Biden implemented his economic policy of so-called “Bidenomics.” Over half of voters in key swing states said grocery prices are the top way inflation has impacted their budget, according to a Bloomberg News/Morning Consult survey.

America's trucking industry is in a dire state, which is bad news for the American economy because it serves as an indicator of the mood of consumers and their pocketbooks heading into the holiday season, one expert warned.

Record high inflation under Democrat President Joe Biden’s economy — especially in the energy and food categories — is steering consumers away from expensive sustainable products and toward cheap alternatives. In its guide on global recession the Conference Board, a global think tank, indicated that the consumers who are typically “most enthusiastic” about using more sustainable products — millennial, urban, and Hispanic consumers — are now buying such products less because of the record high inflation. The board’s consumer research senior researcher, Denise Dahlhoff, wrote in another report that products with environmental or social sustainability were usually priced higher than...

Late last month, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned if gas buyers from "unfriendly" states refuse to pay for fuel in rubles, Moscow would consider it a breach of contract. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said that a ruble payment scheme that Russia currently uses with gas would be extended to new groups of goods in the future. In an interview with the broadcaster Rossiya 1, Peskov said that Russia's European counterparts will pay for gas in the same currency that is indicated in their contracts, but that the final payment will go to the Russian energy giant Gazprom in rubles....

During a portion of an interview broadcast on Tuesday’s edition of “CBS Evening News,” Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen cautioned that, due to the U.S. economy being in a state of recovery, “there may be isolated shortages of goods and services in the coming months.” Yellen stated that America has an “economy that’s recovering.” And “So, there may be isolated shortages of goods and services in the coming months. But there is an ample supply of goods, and I think there’s no reason for consumers to panic about the absence of goods that they’re going to want to acquire at Christmas.”

According to a report on Channel 12 News, the Palestinian Authority will forbid all entry of Israeli goods into the areas controlled by the Palestinian Authority from this evening, in order to curb the spread of the coronavirus...

President Donald Trump’s United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement is finally up for a vote this week—just in time for Christmas. After nearly a year of delay, this gift for the American people represents an opportunity for freer trade and a chance to grow our economy, reduce prices on many goods, and increase our exports to the world, creating more and higher-paying jobs in the process. As we all know, just like with other Christmas gifts, you also can get the occasional ugly sweater that you really didn’t want. The same is true here. Some compromises were made to get USMCA through Congress,...

Will a hyperloop work in Pennsylvania? That’s the question officials from legislative and executive branches, statewide agencies, organizations and departments, as well as a handful of private business leaders are trying to answer. Fifty people, invited to a workshop at Dixon University in Harrisburg on Wednesday, met to talk about the possibility of building a hyperloop system in the commonwealth. The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission has until April 2020 to complete a $2 million state-legislative commissioned study on its viability. Media wasn’t permitted to attend the invitation-only meeting. According to the turnpike’s research, a hyperloop combines a magnetic levitation train and...

"Our view was always, 'Let's just run a business.'" Today, former Walmart CEO Bill Simon would be in the minority. As more companies pick sides in the cultural debate, he -- like a lot of executives -- is having a hard time understanding which business these CEOs are in: advancing left-wing advocacy or their company's brand? Things have changed a lot over Bill Simon's career. In the retail business, he remembers, it used to be simple. "We'll sell to anybody. We'll try to stay out of the public eye on issues that can be confrontational." Fast-forward to today, when everything...

Why is China’s huge toll road system running massive losses despite billions of income from toll fees? It’s another strategy devised by the communist regime to siphon wealth from the public, says Cai Shenkun, a well-known Chinese economist and blogger.The Chinese state operates the largest toll road system in the world. Toll roads across the country collect more than 400 billion yuan (US$60 billion) each year. But strangely, this profitable monopoly industry reports huge losses year after year. According to recently released data by China’s Ministry of Transportation, revenue from toll roads was 409.78 billion yuan in 2015 while operating...

The U.S. trade deficit widened more than expected in January as a strong dollar and weak global demand helped to push exports to a more than 5-1/2-year low, suggesting trade will continue to weigh on economic growth in the first quarter. The Commerce Department said on Friday the trade gap increased 2.2 percent to $45.7 billion. December's trade deficit was revised up to $44.7 billion from the previously reported $43.4 billion. Exports have declined for four straight months. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast the trade deficit widening to $44.0 billion in January. When adjusted for inflation, the deficit increased...

The Most Important Exported Good From Every Statea Andy KierszApr. 3, 2014, 5:03 PMIn addition to national numbers, the Census Bureau also keeps track of imports and exports for each of the states. This map shows the international export commodity or product from each state with the greatest dollar value in 2013:{?

5,549 trucks carrying 155,312 tons of goods entered Gaza through the Kerem Shalom Crossing in September, according to figures released by the IDF on Sunday. These included 1,519 truckloads of food products, 1,244 truckloads of construction materials, 64 truckloads of medical equipment, 258 truckloads of livestock and 2,464 truckloads of miscellaneous items. … Hamas, which violently took control of Gaza in 2007, constantly claims that the region is under an “Israeli siege” because of Israel’s naval blockade on the region, which is meant at stopping weapons and other materials that can used for terror attacks to enter Gaza. …

Today’s news on employment and durable goods orders was not welcome news for the housing and commercial real estate markets. Problem: flat-lined employment to population ratio and the declining labor force participation. employment_population_ratio The initial jobless claims supports this depressing reality. According to the Department of Labor, “In the week ending July 20, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 343,000, an increase of 7,000 from the previous week’s revised figure of 336,000. The 4-week moving average was 345,250, a decrease of 1,250 from the previous week’s revised average of 346,500. The previous week was revised up from...

Demand for US factory goods fell unexpectedly in June, reflecting a drop in corporate investment and the biggest decreases in non-durable goods orders for over three years. Factory orders fell 0.5 per cent, compared with analysts’ expectations of a 0.7 per cent rise, US commerce department figures showed yesterday. June’s fall followed a downwardly revised 0.5 per cent increase in May, after sharp declines the two previous months. Economists fear a slowdown in momentum, given that manufacturing had been regarded as the mainstay of a US economic recovery. The sector accounts for about 12 per cent of the economy.

The nation’s trade deficit held steady at $45.6 billion in August from the prior month, the Commerce Department said. The trade gap in July was revised up from the initial estimate of $44.8 billion. The deficit in August was close to the consensus of analysts surveyed by MarketWatch.

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) — Orders for U.S. durable goods fell slightly in August as demand shrank for motor vehicles and certain large defense goods, the government reported Wednesday. Bookings for U.S.-made products designed to last at least three years dipped 0.1% in August after a 4.1% gain in July, the Commerce Department said. Economists surveyed by MarketWatch had expected orders to rise by 0.4%.