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

We're Hearing Financial Crisis Talk Again

4 days ago | dtnpf.com | Urban C. Lehner

We're Hearing Financial Crisis Talk Again 6/3/2025 | 1:39 PM CDT By Urban C. Lehner , Editor Emeritus Commentators are still buzzing over something unusual that started happening in financial markets a few weeks ago. The anomaly is a sharp increase in yields on long bonds combined with a significant fall in the value of the dollar.
A good, but not great, China trade deal

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

The United States-China agreement to reduce tariffs is undeniably a good thing. People like me who have criticized the Trump tariffs are happy to see it. But while it’s a good thing, it’s not a great thing. And it’s certainly not a triumph for the president. It’s good because if we’d stuck to the trade-war tariffs – ours at 145% and theirs at 125% – commerce between the countries would have come to pretty much a complete halt.
A Good, But Not Great, China Trade Deal

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

A Good, But Not Great, China Trade Deal 5/14/2025 | 3:03 PM CDT By Urban C Lehner , Editor Emeritus The United States-China agreement to reduce tariffs is undeniably a good thing. People like me who have criticized the Trump tariffs (https://www.dtnpf.com/…) are happy to see it. But while it's a good thing, it's not a great thing. And it's certainly not a triumph for the president.
A Good, But Not Great, China Trade Deal

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

A Good, But Not Great, China Trade Deal 5/14/2025 | 3:00 PM CDT By Urban C. Lehner , Editor Emeritus The United States-China agreement to reduce tariffs is undeniably a good thing. People like me who have criticized the Trump tariffs (https://www.dtnpf.com/…) are happy to see it. But while it's a good thing, it's not a great thing. And it's certainly not a triumph for the president.
Guest Opinion: The most important battle in the trade war

1 month 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 month 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 month 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 month 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 month 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 month 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.