Finance

Government projections say America’s next fighter could cost $300 million per plane — here’s why that’s misleading

The Congressional Budget Office released a new report recently that indicated that America’s forthcoming air-superiority fighter, currently known only as the Penetrating Counter Air (PCA) program, could cost as much as $300 million per air frame. As a result, headlines painting the program as yet another example of rampant and unchecked government spending have flooded […]

Real estate may be a safe haven in event of economic slowdown

No one can predict with certainty what the U.S. economy will do in 2019, but the days of the roaring bull market in stocks may be nearing its end. Many experts predict a global slowing in the year ahead, which would, of course, impact the U.S. Is there a safe haven for your money in the […]

US farmers must either adapt or die according to new report

Farmers across the United States are beginning to worry about their future in the wake of a recent report from the US Global Change Research Program (USGCRP), which claims that impending climate change may render some fertile lands useless. According to the report, “The impacts of climate change are already being felt in communities across […]

An argument for killing the corporate tax (part 3 of 3)

Part two can be read here. Furthermore, high corporate tax rates are negatively correlated with economic growth. That is to say, higher corporate tax rates, ceteris paribus, are negatively correlated with economic growth.  The leading empirical research in the area of growth and corporate taxation estimates that cutting U.S. corporate taxes by 10 percentage points […]

Japan to boost military spending and purchase more US-made equipment

The Japanese government is planning on pumping more than $240 billion over the next five years into the country’s military. Much of the budget is expected to be spent in the United States on US-manufactured equipment and vehicles. This move not only strengthens Japan’s position in the Pacific, but also helps keep the US satisfied […]

An argument for killing the corporate tax (part 1 of 3)

In December of last year, Congress passed, and President Trump signed, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA). The legislation, among other things, cut the top marginal rate of the corporate income tax from 35% to 21%. This was a huge step forward in making USA competitive on the world stage. But it did not […]

GM to close five plants and shed 14,000 jobs

Detroit-based US automaker General Motors has announced that it plans to close five plants in the United States and Canada, as well as eliminate 15% of its salaried workforce. The move is a part of a larger cost-cutting plan aimed at restructuring its production away from passenger cars and toward SUVs and trucks. Demand has […]

Qatar ditches OPEC to seek fortunes in liquid natural gas

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is losing one of its founding members after Qatar indicated it would be exiting the group. According to one report from CBS, the move is a finger in the eye of Saudi Arabia, who has been applying pressure to the smaller Gulf state since 2017. Qatar’s withdrawal […]

Heads up! Expect another interest rate hike this year

The Federal Reserve is likely to raise interest rates again before the end of December. According to one report from Yahoo! Finance, the minutes from the latest meeting of the Fed’s leadership stated that the next rate increase — the fourth raise this year — is expected to happen “fairly soon.” The Balance reports that […]