Article • Dean Baker’s Beat the Press
Rising oil and gas prices function like a tax on consumers, and despite strong domestic production, US households still face major costs from higher energy prices.
Article • Dean Baker’s Beat the Press
While Trump boasts about 401(k) gains, US stocks are flat or falling in 2026 as major foreign markets post far stronger returns.
Article • Data Bytes
The January numbers are likely to be very similar to the December data, which would put the year-over-year inflation rate at 2.7 percent — not especially concerning, but still above the Fed’s 2.0 percent target.
Article • Dean Baker’s Beat the Press
Trump’s instability is raising the risk of a large scale exit from dollar assets, threatening US stocks, bonds, and the dollar itself.
Article • Dean Baker’s Beat the Press
Even by Trump’s preferred metric, the US stock market has underperformed most major global markets during his first year in office.
Article • Dean Baker’s Beat the Press
Mark Carney argues that Trump has ended US hegemony and that middle powers must build a new, pragmatic global system centered on trade, climate action, and economic stability.
Article • Dean Baker’s Beat the Press
Trump’s threats and economic bluster ignore the reality that the US is now only the world’s third-largest economy and increasingly isolated from larger democratic blocs.
Article • Dean Baker’s Beat the Press
Trump’s September trade-deficit brag ignores that the decline stems from tariff-driven stockpiling, not genuine progress.
Article • Dean Baker’s Beat the Press
Europe faces increasing threats from Trump and Russia, making China a key ally for economic collaboration and diplomatic solutions, despite its authoritarian stance.
Article • Dean Baker’s Beat the Press
Donald Trump is proposing to give out $2,000 tariff ‘rebate checks,’ but will anyone check the math on this gimmick?
