Trade policy refers to the regulations and agreements that control imports and exports to foreign countries. Learn more about trade agreements including NAFTA, CAFTA, and the Middle Eastern Trade Initiative, as well as regulations, farm subsidies, and tariffs.
Two factory workers manufacturing a car
What Are Tariffs?
An infographic of Trade Protectionism with an image of a cargo ship with an American flag and the headline “Trade Protectionism and Its Methods” and four separate methods described. “1. Smoot-Hawley Tariff of 1930. It was designed to protect from agricultural imports from Europe. 2. When the government subsidizes local industries, That allows producers to lower the price of local goods and services. 3. Impose quotas on imported goods. No matter how low a foreign country sets the price through subsidies, it can’t ship more goods. 4. Deliberate attempt by a country to lower its currency value. This would make its exports cheaper and more competitive.”
What Is Trade Protectionism?
Image shows two women standing beside a tall chart. There is money falling from the sky. The first woman is wearing an old-fashioned frock with a large hat and feathers, as well as a corset. The other woman is wearing pinks lacks, a turtleneck, a denim blazer, and large modern earrings. Text reads: "The value of U.S. currency over the years: 1913 = $100 1920 = $197 1930 = $175 1940 = $142 1950 = $240 1960 = $299 1970 = $386 1980 = $794 1990 = $1,300 2000 = $1,722 2010 = $2,211 2018 = $2,529"
Why the Dollar Is Worth So Much Less Than It Used to Be
The History of NAFTA and Its Purpose
Dollar sign in oil
Will the Petrodollar Collapse?
U.S. infantry troops march in formation as they leave an aircraft on their arrival in Poland as part of NATO exercises
What Is NATO?
Men eating in a soup kitchen during the US Great Depression
Those Who Don't Learn From Smoot-Hawley Are Doomed to Repeat It
Farmer loading community supported agriculture boxes from work shed into box truck for delivery
What Is the Current US Trade Deficit?
Dollar Bill Detail
The Decline of the Dollar vs. Collapse and How to Protect Yourself
Foreign Exchange Markets
The Market That Dwarfs the Stock Market
Dollar symbol
Why the US Dollar Is the Global Currency
yuan dollar conversion
How a Tiny Change in the Yuan Can Panic Investors
7 Pros and Cons of Trade Agreements
dollar value in foreign currency
What Affects the U.S. Dollar Rate?
U.S. imports and exports for 2019 totaled $5.6 trillion, with $3.1 trillion in imports and $2.5 trillion in exports
What Does the United States Trade With Foreign Countries?
pros & cons of international trade. Pros: spurs economic growth, facilitates competitive advantages, and provides domestic companies experience in foreign markets. Cons: leads to job outsourcing and fewer dmoestic roles, causes other countries to lose agricultural base, and undercuts the prices of local farmers
International Trade: Pros, Cons, and Effect on the Economy
Title reads: "3 ways to measure the value of a dollar: 1) exchange rates 2) the demand for treasury notes 3) the foreign exchange reserves" Image shows a small bill being equivalent to 6 foreign coins, and then shows a visual implying that when the demand of large bills goes up and down, so does the demand for small bills. The last image is three administrative buildings from various foreign countries next to a stack of dollar bills.
Who Decides How Much Money Is Worth
Dollar sword and yen sword clashing in a currency war
Why Global Currency Wars Aren't as Dangerous as They Sound
current account
What Is the Current Account?
WTO protester
How the WTO Keeps Your Prices Low
Indonesian farmers protesting the WTO
The Real Reason Why the Doha Round of Trade Talks Failed
A cup of coffee on a pile of coffee beans
6 Pros and 6 Cons of NAFTA
Auto assembly line, Mexico City, Mexico
What You Should Know About Outsourcing Jobs
Image shows what impacts the strength of the American dollar: When the Fed raises interest rates, the dollar's value gets stronger. If the euro weakens, the dollar strengthens. The large U.S. debt-to-gross-domestic product ratio can reduce the dollar rate
3 Reasons Why the Dollar Is So Strong Right Now
A customs inspector standing and reviewing a tack of containers
What Was the GATT?
The Apple logo is accounted for in the capital accounts.
How Trademarks, Copyrights, and Drilling Rights Are Added to GDP
Image shows a folder open on the presidential desk. On the inside of the folder it reads: "The new changes to NAFTA." Inside the folder is a document that reads: "NAFTA: Features new auto manufacturing regulation; opens canada's dairy market to U.S. farmers; regulates mexican trucks crossing the U.S. border; offers more protection for patents and trademarks; reduces competition for U.S. companies selling products in canada; Restricts companies for file for chapter 11"
6 Ways Trump Changed NAFTA
WTO Bali Agreement
3 Reasons Why WTO Membership Is So Important
Woman working in banana packaging plant
The 2004 Trade Agreement That Made Bananas Cheaper
A protester wears a bandana that reads 'Reject Obama' during a protest against Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) outside the Global Entrepreneurship Summit on October 11, 2013 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
How the TPP Lives on Without the United States
A smiling woman holding a shopping basket in the produce section of a grocery store where prices are low due to NAFTA agreements
6 Hidden Benefits of NAFTA
Man in headdress (gutra) overseeing oil retention pond,
What the Riyal, Lev, and Krone All Have in Common
pile of foreign currency with wrench on top
How Foreign Exchange Reserves Affect You
A woman talks with a man.
When a Rise in a Nation's Financial Account Is Bad
Dock workers accepting imports
Why America Cannot Just Make Everything It Needs
Groceries trade
5 Pros and 4 Cons to the World's Largest Trade Agreements
A person holding several 100 Yuan bills with an ATM in the background
Why Countries Peg Their Currency to the Dollar
Mexican women breaking apart clay for making pottery
6 Negative Effects of NAFTA
Two cartoon men use a rope to pull a floating dollar and euro sign closer together with Transatlantic Trade
What Happened to the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership?
Container Cargo Freight Ship With Working Crane Bridge in Shipyard
The 5 Countries That Ship Half of All Imports to the United States
woman shopping at grocery store
Top 12 US Bilateral Trade Agreements
Money mix of foreign currency notes
Does the Government Control Exchange Rates?
Coffee and coffee beans
Fast Facts About the World's Largest Trade Agreement
Strong Dollar
Why the U.S. Dollar Is So Powerful
CARGO-SHIP-BLUE.jpg
6 Steps to Join the World Trade Organization
current account deficit
What Is the Current U.S. Account Deficit?
Workers harvesting lavender in Japan
What Trade Agreements Do We Have With Our Neighbors?
Effects of a Weak Dollar
How a Weak Dollar Can Hurt You Financially
FTAA protest
The World's Largest Trade Zone That Never Happened
Boehner and Obama agree on TPA
Does the President Negotiate Secret Trade Deals?
chocolate-croissants.jpg
Love Imported Goods, But Hate Losing American Jobs?
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6 Ways Exchange Rates Affect You Even If You Don't Travel
Trade cargo ships
How Trump Is Trying to Destroy the WTO