Economy

Trade Agreements – Election Year Fodder

Free Trade

Trade agreements have become a frequently heard subject this election season. Recently, Gov. Kasich (R-OH) appeared in Obama’s White House to support the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), which contradicts the position of his party’s presidential candidate. That’s an unusual move in politics, so just what’s going on here? According to a helpful BBC article from July, 2016, the TPP involves 12 countries: the US, Japan, Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore, Brunei, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Mexico, Chile and… Read More

Truth or… Consequences?

Truth or… Consequences?

It would seem truth is a very devalued currency these days. We have been struck by the media’s lengthy attention to the apparently stupid antics of Ryan Lochte and his 3 teammates in Rio. For those of you not paying attention to the Olympics and associated events, Lochte, a highly decorated world-class swimmer and 3 teammates were involved what appears to be a late night, perhaps drunken, event involving public urination, damaging a gas station… Read More

Brexit: Who Cares?

Brexit: Who Cares?

Well, maybe you do. In that case, no doubt you’ve been bombarded by news reports covering the gamut from outright economic Armageddon to no big deal. The question here is what does it mean for your procurement situation? Apparently the markets continue to roil, and today (July 8) when I was writing this we saw another news item from Reuters, which in part said “Worries have only intensified since the [Brexit] vote and Fed Governor… Read More

Rare Earth Update

Rare Earth Update

We’ve found frequent news about rare earth metals.  Last year there was considerable strategic concern, and we are relieved to learn this is not the only opinion. From the May 05, 2015 tech blog Gizmodo comes this:  “Rare earth elements are hard-to-find metals that we need for batteries, solar cells and electronics. These days, they’re mostly mined and processed in China. But it wasn’t always so. The history of rare earth elements is surprising, and some… Read More

Next-shoring: Your Manufacturing Future?

Next-shoring: Your Manufacturing Future?

The rapid pace of change in a few key areas has reshaped manufacturing strategy. New developments have led to “next-shoring”, which means locating suppliers and manufacturing facilities near to locations where both customers are as well as sources for innovation. Innovation, according to most sources, occurs most easily when manufacturing is nearby. And this became one shortcoming of offshoring. In the recent past, locating manufacturing in low labor cost countries was a high priority. Recently,… Read More

Economic forecast for Manufacturers

The Cincinnati CPA firm Barnes Dennig has a special emphasis on manufacturing. Occasionally they sponsor presentations, roundtables, and speakers that deal with many manufacturing related subjects. This one below, which we have found particularly good, is free. Next Thursday, November 12, Barnes Dennig and a few other local companies will sponsor a wonderful presentation that features nationally known speaker Alan Beaulieu, who gives a terrific presentation with a very valuable message. Mr. Beaulieu’s company is… Read More

Economic Factors and Your Business-Part 1

Presidential campaigns mean we are subjected to a variety of economic “facts” and statistics. If positions become policy and law, many of these will have effects on your business. We have some thoughts on all this, and we hope you will contribute yours. Ever since the “Occupy Wall Street” movement of a couple of years ago we’ve heard a great deal about the minimum wage and income inequality. There are some who believe a major… Read More

New Jobs Report: Good News!

Economic news, such as unemployment rates, labor participation, job growth and economic growth often provide conflicting stories. All this make determining how the economy is doing difficult. In the area of job growth, a recent study has been released that appears to report good news. The report comes from Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce, and begins with this: “Good jobs for college graduates are leading the recovery.   After years of slow growth,… Read More

Economic forecast for Manufacturers

The Cincinnati CPA firm Barnes Dennig has a special emphasis on manufacturing. Occasionally they sponsor presentations, roundtables, and speakers that deal with many manufacturing related subjects. This one below, which we have found particularly good, is free. On November 5, 2014, Barnes Dennig and a few other local companies will sponsor a wonderful presentation that features nationally known speaker Alan Beaulieu, who gives a terrific presentation with a very valuable message. Mr. Beaulieu’s company is… Read More