President Barack Obama’s trade policies so far lack clarity - and
that may mean problems for manufacturers, an economic analyst for
the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association says.
Chris Kuehl, Ph.D., FMA economic analyst,
made the comments in the newsletter Fabrinomics.
“U.S. exports have
broken records for 22 straight months,” Kuehl said. “For almost a year, it was
the export sector that kept the United States out of recession and it will very
likely be overseas markets that help manufacturers survive the current
recession.
“The Obama plan has a
lot of content that relates to domestic activity, but a coherent trade policy
will have to emerge if the United States is going to navigate the challenge of
trade, other nations’ protective impulses and the tendency of U.S. companies to
retreat into isolationist strategies.”
Keuhl said recent
cabinet appointments have been a disappointment, with records that show
anti-trade policies or only lukewarm support.
“And with the
withdrawal of Bill Richardson, the post of secretary of commerce seems to be a
hot potato nobody seems to want,” he added.
