Global Markets & TPP

Restoring U.S. Digital Trade Rules Leadership SBE Council joined allies in the business community to congratulate new United States Trade Representative (USTR) Jamieson Greer on his confirmation and recommend a course of action on digital trade rules that would advance U.S. leadership and support American economic strength. A coalition letter reviews how U.S. digital rules […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Washington, DC. – In response to President Donald J Trump’s memorandum of February 21, defending U.S. innovators from unfair taxes, fines and penalties and the erosion of intellectual property (IP) rights and protections, which has allowed U.S. IP to be effortlessly stolen, Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council (SBE Council) President & CEO […]

by Raymond J. Keating –  International trade is critical to the U.S. economy, including during the Christmas holidays. Unfortunately, the latest report on U.S. trade estimated that U.S. exports (seasonally adjusted in nominal dollars) in October declined by 1.6 percent. That was the second consecutive month of decline. And the October level of $265.7 billion […]

Consumers, Small Businesses and Workers Get Short End of Protectionist Stick by Raymond J. Keating – Politics is politics, and that being the case, policies rooted in sound economics can get tossed aside in favor of misguided and counter-productive pandering. I’ve always made the case that good economics turns out to be good politics, but […]

Statement on Promoting Supply Chain Resiliency Public Hearing Office of the United States Trade Representative May 23, 2024   Raymond J. Keating Chief Economist Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council Good morning. I’m Ray Keating, and I serve as chief economist for the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council. SBE Council is a nonprofit advocacy, research and […]

by Raymond J. Keating – International trade has been a positive for U.S. economic growth for decades. In the most straightforward terms, exports boost U.S. entrepreneurs, businesses and workers, while imports serve as inputs to U.S. businesses, and reflect the state of domestic economy, as a growing economy increases the demand for imports on various […]

Open Letter to World Trade Organization Members: Supporting Micro, Small, and Medium-Sized Business and Startup Growth and Job Creation by Making the WTO Moratorium on Customs Duties on Electronic Transmissions Permanent The undersigned, representing a broad and diverse global community of micro, small, and medium-sized (MSME) business entrepreneurs and startup innovators collectively urge World Trade […]

by Raymond J. Keating – Trade matters to U.S. entrepreneurs, businesses and workers, not to mention, of course, consumers. Consider that in 1960, for example, U.S. real exports stood at 3.1 percent of real GDP, while in 2022, that had risen to 11.2 percent. Meanwhile, real imports registered 3.5 percent of real GDP in 1960, […]

by Raymond J. Keating – The latest international trade report from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis showed some growth in exports and imports in September. U.S. exports increased by 2.2 percent in September, registering $261.1 billion. That marked three consecutive months of growth (in nominal terms). However, the September level remained below where it […]

President Joseph R. Biden The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, District of Columbia 20500 Re: The Imperative for U.S. Government Support of Startups, Small Businesses, and Entrepreneurs in the Global Digital Economy The undersigned, representing a broad and diverse community of entrepreneur, small business, and startup innovators, collectively share our deep concern with […]