Urban C. Lehner

Newport

Writer at Freelance

Writer, editor; retired DTN/The Progressive Farmer VP, Editorial; ex-NAAJ president; 2009 AAEA Writer of the Year

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Articles

Guest Opinion: The most important battle in the trade war

1 week ago | wlj.net | Urban C. Lehner

The battle in the trade war that matters most is the one between the U.S. and China. Handicapping the likely outcome isn’t as easy as you might think. The U.S.-China battle is the most important in many ways. Start with size. These are the world’s two largest economies, and they do $583 billion in bilateral trade.
The US interest rate outlook is increasingly uncertain

1 week ago | asiatimes.com | Urban C. Lehner

The Federal Reserve Board’s May 7 decision to leave interest rates unchanged wasn’t a surprise, but there may be surprises ahead. Markets are expecting the Fed to cut its benchmark interest rate a couple of times later this year from the current 4.25% to 4.5%. They could be right. But cuts aren’t the only possibility. Depending on what happens economically in the months ahead, the Fed could lower rates, raise them or leave them unchanged.
The Interest Rate Outlook Is Increasingly Uncertain

1 week ago | dtnpf.com | Urban C. Lehner

The Interest Rate Outlook Is Increasingly Uncertain 5/8/2025 | 8:16 AM CDT By Urban C Lehner , Editor Emeritus The Federal Reserve Board's decision to leave interest rates unchanged wasn't a surprise, but there may be surprises ahead. Markets are expecting the Fed to cut its benchmark interest rate a couple of times later this year from the current 4.25% to 4.5%. They could be right. But cuts aren't the only possibility.
The Interest Rate Outlook Is Increasingly Uncertain

1 week ago | dtnpf.com | Urban C. Lehner

The Interest Rate Outlook Is Increasingly Uncertain 5/8/2025 | 8:15 AM CDT By Urban C. Lehner , Editor Emeritus The Federal Reserve Board's decision to leave interest rates unchanged wasn't a surprise, but there may be surprises ahead. Markets are expecting the Fed to cut its benchmark interest rate a couple of times later this year from the current 4.25% to 4.5%. They could be right. But cuts aren't the only possibility.
Handicapping the US-China trade war's likely outcome isn't easy

1 week ago | asiatimes.com | Urban C. Lehner

The battle in the trade war that matters most is the one between the United States and China. Handicapping the likely outcome isn’t as easy as you might think. It’s true that the United States holds a lot of cards. China sells a lot to the US. But the Chinese hold some cards, too. The US-China battle is the most important in many ways. Start with size. These are the world’s two largest economies and they do $583 billion in bilateral trade.
The Most Important Battle in the Trade War

1 week ago | dtnpf.com | Urban C. Lehner

The Most Important Battle in the Trade War 5/2/2025 | 3:29 PM CDT By Urban C. Lehner , Editor Emeritus The battle in the trade war that matters most is the one between the United States and China. Handicapping the likely outcome isn't as easy as you might think. It's true that the U.S. holds a lot of cards; China sells a lot to the U.S. But the Chinese hold some cards, too. The U.S.-China battle is the most important in many ways.
Seeing AI's bright side through Reid Hoffman's eyes: book review

3 weeks ago | asiatimes.com | Urban C. Lehner

Anxiety over artificial intelligence is running high. Workers fear for their jobs. Some experts fear for the human race. Companies, the fearful say, are speeding up making machines smarter without having yet ensured that they can keep them tethered to human values. A safety researcher recently left OpenAI, a leading AI development concern, declaring himself “pretty terrified” at the pace of development.
Seeing the Bright Side of Artificial Intelligence

3 weeks ago | dtnpf.com | Urban C. Lehner

Seeing the Bright Side of Artificial Intelligence 4/22/2025 | 10:53 AM CDT By Urban C. Lehner , Editor Emeritus Anxiety over artificial intelligence is running high. Workers fear for their jobs. Some experts fear for the human race. Companies, the fearful say, are speeding up making machines smarter without having yet ensured that they can keep them tethered to human values.
15 reasons these tariffs are a mistake

1 month ago | asiatimes.com | Urban C. Lehner

It’s not hard to make the case for bringing factories back to the United States. It’s likewise not hard to understand that some carefully targeted tariffs, especially when coupled with other industrial-policy measures, would give this “reshoring” a boost. It’s impossible to make the case for very high tariff levels on everything made by almost every country on earth. There are a great many things wrong with what this administration is doing. Let me count the ways.
15 Reasons These Tariffs Are a Mistake

1 month ago | dtnpf.com | Urban C. Lehner

15 Reasons These Tariffs Are a Mistake 4/8/2025 | 7:08 AM CDT By Urban C Lehner , Editor Emeritus It's not hard to make the case for bringing factories back to the United States. It's likewise not hard to understand that some carefully targeted tariffs, especially when coupled with other industrial-policy measures, would give this "reshoring" a boost.