Trade deficit drops to 1½-year low in May

The U.S. trade deficit fell to a 1½ -year low in May as exports rose to a record high, boosted by an increase in shipments of soybeans and commercial aircraft.

The Commerce Department said on Friday the trade gap narrowed 6.6 percent to $43.1 billion, the smallest since October 2016. Data for April was slightly revised to show the trade deficit falling to $46.1 billion, instead of the previously reported $46.2 billion.

Economists polled by Reuters had forecast the trade deficit declining to $43.7 billion in May. When adjusted for inflation, the trade gap narrowed to $75.3 billion, the lowest level since March 2017, from $77.5 billion in April. The so-called real trade deficit in April and May was below its $82.5 billion average in the first quarter.

Our trade deficit with China is currently at an all-time high.

The most, ever.

It is even up, from last year. And last year, was a new all-time record.

The most ever. By any country, against any other country.

In HISTORY.

Shoddy reporting, or a shoddy indicator.

Tariffs need to be zeroed out on all sides - period.

We continue to subsidize the planet, and the planet keeps taking the subsidy without reciprocal consideration at all.

US corporations need to suck it up and train their employees. They need to get it through their heads that the interns they’re training will leave them eventually, and that the interns from rival firms will end up coming over to them.

Relying on India’s paper mills for that is generational theft, especially since the reason they ended up with the technical expertise is because the person they replaced (who was laid off) was ordered to transfer that knowledge to them.

THIS is the conversation I’d be having with big tech - either you start training people their freshman year of HS, or you can face unionization, because the H1-B program should be terminated - full stop ripped out.

China’s housing market will crash if there is a trade war. Its already a bubble with far more apartments than people to buy them. Lots of people own several through unsecured bank loans. But the apartments with no one living in them are falling apart. Not just the apartments, but the entire building is falling apart.

This video shows the problem. Two guys who have lived in china for 10 plus years explain and show a ghost city. If you are in a hurry you can start at the 7 minute point. But the whole thing gives you information that is worth your time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcyYyyaPz84

But second, you need to see this video that shows you the second half of the problem. Its not that china has this great housing capacity because these buildings will literally fall down in a few years. Buildings in china are built with no standards with poor workmanship and no regulations.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcyYyyaPz84

Watch this whole one for sure.

America will win the trade war if we keep it up for a little while. If this bubble pops, forget. Trump needs to separate us from Europe (government debt) and China (housing debt), both are bubbles that will pop.

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