American Economics Thread

B.I.B.

Captain
Assembly line jobs somewhere in the red states where union workers are non existence or have very little power and hiring of only a few thousand jobs the most before laying them off again after a dozen years for minimal wages?

Gou is talking about billions of dollars of investment . Fifty thousand jobs etc, however the number crunchers say with most components coming from China and Korea, the numbers don't stack.
 

B.I.B.

Captain
T?

On a more serious note, I wonder just how he plans on making Mexico pay for this folly? Any extra duty or tarriff will surely break WTO rules?
.

As I suggested earlier, they could deduct it out of the annual aid money. I don't have the latest figure. In 2013 it was about. 450-500million.
I would not be surprised if Trumps popularity rating go up because of the silent numbers that approve in what Trump is doing but don't say so.

He has made moves to get the stalled pipeline in motion as well. Back in NZ that would have another fours after the call for more endless reports.
 
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Zool

Junior Member
Any thoughts. on Foxconn toying with the idea of establishing a display manufacturing plant in the U.S.

I daresay Trump will try to claim credit if it happens.

I was reading an article a week ago that talked about one of the challenges with this idea being the lack of a component 'ecosystem' in the US, versus how China has created 'tech parks' where multiple component manufacturers that integrate into some of these commercial products, are situated near to each other to increase efficiencies.

Just so happens I found today another piece discussing the same issue, among others, that need to be addressed for a such a move to be competitive.

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by
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on 25 JANUARY 2017

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Sharp co-operation is not done and dusted

While the press has made much of Foxconn’s plans to co-operate with Sharp to build a new panel plant in the US, the deal is so far from being done and dusted it is increasingly looking unlikely.

Foxconn Electronics chairman Terry Guo has indicated that the company is considering establishing a display panel factory in the US through cooperation with Sharp, which is expected to provide advanced panel technology.

The deal was heralded as a way that more US jobs would be created by Donald (Prince of Orange) Trump. Since Foxconn was an Apple partner, it was being touted as the way Apple was going to avoid facing huge taxes under the Trump regime.

Guo pointed out that there were shedloads of reasons the deal would not go ahead. Foxconn would not go ahead with it if it could not get deals on land costs for land, water supply and power supply.

It would also have to talk its suppliers in South Korea, China, Taiwan and Japan to shift their glass substrates, polarizers, backlight modules and materials, form clusters from Asia to the US.

The question is how many of them will want that?

According to
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, Foxconn will need its glass substrates companies localised because transportation is very costly and it is necessary to supply the material nearby. There is a US-based supplier, Corning, but it has almost all its plants for volume production located in Asia. For Foxconn to set up, it will need Corning to come back, something which is pretty unlikely.

Foxconn is currently working with Sharp to set up a 10.5G line in Guangzhou, southern China, and one of the main incentives is strong financial support from the local government. So not only will all the above boxes need to be ticked before the deal goes ahead, the US government will have to come up with shedloads of sweeteners too.

We can’t see it.
 

b787

Captain
As I suggested earlier, they could deduct it out of the annual aid money. I don't have the latest figure. In 2013 it was about. 450-500million.
I would not be surprised if Trumps popularity rating go up because of the silent numbers that approve in what Trump is doing but don't say so.

He has made moves to get the stalled pipeline in motion as well. Back in NZ that would have another fours after the call for more endless reports.
Mexico is not going to pay

If our government ever pays, its signing its death sentence first as a party, the PRI lead by Pena Nieto is highly disliked, if the people ever knows, in Mexico discontent will grow.

Second, if Trump uses remittances, it will affect the family economy of millions, basically impoverishing millions, this will increase hate to the government, Pena Nieto has a popularity below 12%.


Second if Mexico Pays is signalling south America, cut ties with the USA they have betrayed Mexico as they did betray Argentina in 1982.

Trump will fail, even if he builds his wall, white people are old, the goods price will sky rocket, tax the cars made in Mexico you are shooting your selves in your feet, 40% of each car made in Mexico by ford has US content, basically taxing your own goods.We will survive believe me, Trump will make us stronger, but he will make you weaker.

You wall will not stop immigration, many illegals around 60% come by airplane, try to control visas you will destroy to tourism to the USA, and Mexican Mafia also can build tunnels, you have a huge coast too.
China has now the technology and can flood the region with their goods, your ultra strong dollar, will reduce your imports to Mexico, just to mentions cheese and gas, a dollar a 25 pesos per dollar will kill Mexican imports from the USA, your higher salaries will kill your exports to Mexico and what you are doing to Mexico will tell in South America do not depend in the USA, do business with China, Russia, Europe, Asia.

You are doomed, China will sell your debt, your dollar will have inflation, your protectionism will make Mexican goods more expensive, and your old american white people with high salaries will not allow youi to compete, taxing Japanese cars, or Chinese or German cars will not solve the fact Mexicans we can build cars as good as American workers, your cars have bad quality compared to Japanese, tax them, you are only making your cars less affordable and each action has a reaction, your taxing of important goods mean China, Japan, Mexico, can tax your goods too, basically you are destroying your exports, but well build your wall i am in favor, do it nations that do tat show you are afraid of competitions, burying your head in the ground won`t stop Mexico getting stronger, neither China sweeping your goods from the shelves else where, remember the other side can always respond
 

Blackstone

Brigadier
I was reading an article a week ago that talked about one of the challenges with this idea being the lack of a component 'ecosystem' in the US, versus how China has created 'tech parks' where multiple component manufacturers that integrate into some of these commercial products, are situated near to each other to increase efficiencies.

Just so happens I found today another piece discussing the same issue, among others, that need to be addressed for a such a move to be competitive.
In addition to challenging supply chain problems, the final products would not be price competitive with foreign manufacturies. One example is a piece I saw from Bloomberg news saying an iPhone that American consumers pay around $700 for today may go as high as $2,000 under Trump's regime. That means reduction of living standard for most Americans, with the middle-class and lower income brackets taking the blunt of it.
 

Blackstone

Brigadier
Want proof the inmates are running the asylum? Here it is. Peter Navarro said Citigroup's study on BATs (border adjustment taxes) depressing retail company earnings, leading to workforce reductions "garbage study" and "scare tactics." Least we forget, this is coming from the king of scare tactics himself.

But for the notion most Americans will be worse off, these people would be comical to watch over the next four years.

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In an interview with CNBC on Friday, the director of the Trump administration's National Trade Council,
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, had a "let them eat cake" moment.

After being questioned about a potential tax policy that would hit the retail industry hard, he called research critical of the policy "fake news."

The policy is called a border adjustment, and it basically would tax companies that export goods to the US. Of course, some of those companies are retailers that get clothes that are made outside the country.

Retailers are worried about it. In a release published this month opposing the border tax, the National Retail Federation cited a talk by William Dudley, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York president, who said: "I think that it probably would lead to a lot of changes in the value of the dollar, the prices of imported goods in the US, and I'm not sure that that would all happen very smoothly. I also think there could be lots of unintended consequences."

CNBC's Melissa Lee pointed to a Citigroup estimate that said this new tax would be a massive hit to company earnings. That means people working in retail would likely lose their jobs as companies try to cut costs.

Navarro immediately got defensive.

"Well, first of all, this is a false narrative and a fake study," he countered.

Lee was a bit surprised. "Let me get this right," she said, "Citigroup did a fake study?"

"Citigroup has no credibility," Navarro said. He called the bank's analysis, and analysis from the
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, "garbage studies and scare tactics" and compared them to media outlets like MSNBC and CNN.

"We are not backing off," he said.

Lee pointed out that Citigroup isn't the media — it's research written for investors looking to find out if companies are healthy. Navarro ignored that point.

"Yeah, well, the Dow just hit 20,000, how you like them apples?" he said. "There are winners and losers."

Winners, we are assuming, are the people who get to keep their jobs. Losers are everyone else.
 

b787

Captain
Good move by Samsung and LG to locate factories in the US, and they'll profit by avoiding border adjustment taxes. But, the flip side is automation would limit blue collar jobs creation, plus the companies in question are still dependent on the global supply chain for components.
there are other reason why they might move, the border tax is just a bluff by Trump the World trade Organization rules go against that, plus let us see some things people in the US do not see:


Is this even legal? Considerable debate exists about how the House proposal conforms to international trade law. A unilateral attack on the Mexican trade deficit would surely violate
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, the North American Free Trade Agreement, which Trump says he want to renegotiate. Some trade experts say there are other legal obstacles. “It appears unlikely that such border adjustments would be permissible under current international trade law,” says
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, citing
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Law.

Kleinbard observed that conflicts between the new policy and WTO law would “defy any simple fix” and present “a recipe for years of dispute, business uncertainty and potential retaliatory tariffs.” In other words, it’s not a change to be made hastily.

Former Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers shares those doubts. Writing in the Financial Times on Jan. 8, he predicted that the change in tax structure “will be seen by other countries and the World Trade Organization as a protectionist act that violates U.S. treaty obligations. Proponents may argue that it should be legal because it is like a value added tax, but the WTO is very clear that income taxes cannot discriminate to favor exports.” While the WTO ponders the legalities, he wrote, “protectionist acts by other nations would be licensed immediately.”


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Plus a few factors people do not see

Ford cancelled but not China`s Giant motors

Billionaire Carlos Slim And Mexico's Bread Giant Bimbo To Launch A Made-In-Mexico Electric Vehicle

At a time when American auto giants are under pressure to bring back production from Mexico to the U.S., Mexican billionaire
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is planning an expansion of his modestpresence in Mexico's auto industry. Giant Motors, controlled by Slim's financial services conglomerate, Inbursa, is in the process of manufacturing a made-in-Mexico electric


vehicle with plans to launch it commercially next year, Forbes Mexico
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.

"We are developing a new Mexican electric vehicle that will not only be assembled [in Mexico], but also designed and modeled to meet the needs of Mexican consumers," Elías Massri, Giant Motors' CEO for Latin America told Forbes Mexico.

The vehicle, which will be designed by Giant Motors, will be manufactured in a joint venture with Moldex, a subsidiary of Grupo Bimbo, a Mexican-based multinational which is the world’s largest bread maker.


Giant Motors expects to complete a working prototype late this year to be able to market it in 2018. The company said it plans to introduce the car as an electric taxi in Mexico City, the nation's densely populated capital where air pollution is a continuing concern.

Giant Motors will seek government funding and collaboration to help promote it as an environmentally-sound alternative.

Last week, Slim's Giant Motors announceda 4.4 billion peso (around US$215 million), alliance with Chinese auto maker JAC Motors to manufacture vehicles in Mexico's central state of Hidalgo.

JAC, or Jianghai Automobile Company, builds both trucks and passenger vehicles and has had a presence in Mexico since 2007.


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This car is a joint Mexican-Chinese venture, the design of the car is Mexican, the Chassis and main car are Mexican, the engine and power plant Chinese
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will ford be able to compete with are car made by Cheap Chinese and Mexican labor going back to the US? i do not think so but Trump thinks yes they can
 

vesicles

Colonel
Good move by Samsung and LG to locate factories in the US, and they'll profit by avoiding border adjustment taxes. But, the flip side is automation would limit blue collar jobs creation, plus the companies in question are still dependent on the global supply chain for components.

This is why I have never been a supporter of "bring the manufacturing jobs back to the US". It's not natural and requires heavy government intervention to work. Everything about it goes against basic principles of free market economy.

I firmly believe in a small government and as few government regulations as possible. A system that takes advantage of self interest of individuals and encourages healthy competition among different parties is the best system.

Without government intervention and in a free market economy, business owners seek to lower cost and maximize profit. Two ways to do that: 1) find cheap labor; 2) automate the manufacturing process.

In a nation like the US, where minimum wage is almost a month's/a year's salary in some poor third world country, only heavy government intervention, which slabs heavy taxes and regulations on businesses, would force businesses to hire more expensive labor and allow manufacturing jobs to come back to the States. As you can see, this goes against the basic instinct of operating any business. Then to make these businesses more competitive on the international market, the government will need to heavily subsidize. Before long, the government pumps so much money into these businesses that it becomes partial owner. When you are an owner, you want to have a say in how the business is operated. If owners don't listen to the government, it will stop subsidize them and they go under... Then you get socialist government, where the government owns everything.

Then to be able to afford the subsidizing, the government will need more budget = higher taxes. That obviously comes out our pockets. Then, higher prices for all the goods now made in the USA also decreases the purchasing power = lower quality of life for all. With less sales, businesses will need more help from the Man to stay afloat. Again, more government involvement. To keep the government out, business will then need to lay off workers to minimize cost. then we go back to square one: shrinking manufacturing jobs.

As you can see, this much government intervention is very unnatural.

To get around this, companies will aim to automate manufacturing as much as possible to lower cost. Amazon just opened a brick-and-mortar store in Seattle, where almost the entire store is automated. This of course totally defeats the purpose of bringing jobs back to the US. So what to do next? Burning down all the robots, like what people did in the 1700's and 1800's? Banning the use of machines? we all go back to lines and lines of people working on sewing machines?? Welcome to the third world! Is this the kind of future we want?
 
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