Misrepresentations About International Trade: The Case of Apple’s iPhone

Posted on by Farok J. Contractor

© 2025, Farok J. Contractor, Distinguished Professor, Rutgers Business School This article is scheduled for publication in the Spring 2025 edition of the Rutgers Business Review. Abstract In  the present debates about US manufacturing and trade deficits, the case of the Apple iPhone provides several useful insights. Looking only at the US-China trade balance, the … Continue reading Misrepresentations About International Trade: The Case of Apple’s iPhone

Does Just One Product – the iPhone – Cause an $11 Billion Trade Deficit for the US?

Posted on by Farok J. Contractor

© 2018, Farok J. Contractor, Rutgers Business School   Note: See the Updated Post of May 5, 2025: Misrepresentations About International Trade:  The Case of Apple’s iPhone Trade Statistics Alone Can Frighten and Mislead In my July 11, 2018 blog post, The US-China Trade Spat: How the Public, Media, and Politicians Can Be Deceived by Data, I … Continue reading Does Just One Product – the iPhone – Cause an $11 Billion Trade Deficit for the US?

The US-China Trade Spat: How the Public, Media, and Politicians Can Be Deceived by Data

Posted on by Farok J. Contractor

© 2018, Farok J. Contractor, Rutgers Business School   Trade Statistics Can Be Less Than Half the China Story Looking at trade statistics alone is misleading because they lack overall context. The $337 billion US deficit with China in 2017 sounds scary. But a review of other economic factors provides insight into the larger picture. 1. … Continue reading The US-China Trade Spat: How the Public, Media, and Politicians Can Be Deceived by Data

Learning from the History of Globalization

Posted on by Farok J. Contractor

© 2014 Prof. Farok J. Contractor, Rutgers University Since the year 2000, the US has suffered a horrendous merchandise trade deficit against China, adding up to $2,947 billion over the 14-year period. This means that China has accumulated nearly $3 trillion surplus dollars—much of which they “kindly” reinvested in US assets, notably US Treasury debt. … Continue reading Learning from the History of Globalization