Alan Greenspan: We're On The Edge Of A Trade War

Alan Greenspan, former Federal Reserve chairman, speaks with CNBC's Sara Eisen about the state of the U.S. economy including his thoughts on the Trump administration's trade policies.

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Alan Greenspan: We're On The Edge Of A Trade War | CNBC

[irlserver]

Man, what a blown opportunity to get some insight. Why did she feel her questions were more important than his answers?

[nikhilgoyal]

why does she constantly interrupt. if you bring him on show, ask him a question then let the man complete his sentence!!! heavens sake.

[timetraveler]

I wish she'd shut up. He is trying to explain, then gets cut off. Then to next question, then repeats the interruption.

[pppccc]

The key point is “we are exchanging dollar bill with goods. It is zero sum trade”. Just using a paper to exchange other people’s goods and hard work. What are great deal !!! Couldn’t be better!!! But people are still complaining and using “deficits” as reason to ruining it.

[anon]

Lots of talk about a trade deficit, but what about US corporate data? US companies have sold more to the rest of the world than other countries have sold to the US in the past ten years. Chinese consumers own more iPhones and buy more General Motors cars than US consumers, BUT they are sold to China not through US exports but through Chinese subsidiaries of multinational enterprises. Maybe the US ‘deficit’ is to do with the way YOUR own multinational corporations conduct their business.

[vinestreet]

What???!!! Tariff is to put pressure on other countries to drop their tariffs! It’s not because I buy a Lexus? Unbelievable.

[Pete-tcrd]

The reason why she keeps interrupting Greenspan is because he's stating the obvious... and he has a tendency of drawing out his answers longer than they need to be. If you've watched Greenspans interviews on CNBC and Capitol Hill you'll notice he never really answers the question or draws it out way to long. Do I really need to understand his purchasing power of buying a car in 1940, and his upgrade 10 years later. No. But he's telling a story. And Sara probably only has 3-4 minutes before a producer says "hurry this up Sara." She's not trying to be rude. She's just straight-forward some people dont like it. Personally, I prefer people who get to the point. Sara is intelligent, straight-forward, and for what its worth she's also beautiful. Big hugs to new baby.

[ivykkb]

Who want to hear her ... She don't even do maths... 😂😂😂

[pumbhausa]

Stop interrupting him. Let him answer!

[tommyss]

I think it is awesome how Greenspan has started to speak the truth in his old age. It is a breath of fresh air, despite his past doings at the helm of the Fed, crashing our economy, and setting us up for this mess

[khaledadams]

Every time this man speaks, it is to distract you from something else.

[euanreid]

Crack me up... what he really wants to say is that we print up trillions of dollars from thin air and other countries give us a tangible goods or services for the worthless fiat currency because they're suckers....

[TheDavidlloydjones]

Saying we are "on the edge of a trade war" is as stupid as saying WWII started at Dunkirk.

[joer]

I'm a Canadian and I'm proud and have tried to never take for granted the fact that the US and Canada have enjoyed the greatest international friendship the world has ever known. I would like to thank those in the United States for that friendship and hope that they have enjoyed it as well. We have both prospered from it and while I hope that we both continue to benefit from it as we both have in the past it feels like one of the greatest achievements mankind has ever known, (the longest lasting peace and friendship the world has ever known) is coming to an end. We showed the world it can be done. Lets hope we don't show them we are so short sighted that we decide we won't.

[TPerm-hjsf]

Greenspan bullshits. The trade deficit from China is a conspiracy from the commies, they make cheap things and lure American citizen buy these cheap things, like display candy to little innocent kids. Then they go...gottcha...chin chin chin...whaozha...Kungfu kick, Chinaman, bin bin bong bong.
China man evil, Make America Great Again.

[commonsense]

Your entire deficit with the EU is paid by European Union with investments.

[nickl]

Basically foreigners exchange goods for US paper. Paper whose value diminishes as the US prints more bits of colorful paper.

[rof]

Free trade is for US corporates to profit from lower labour costs, lower labor standards, lower environmental protection costs, tax avoidance, lower rents and lower energy costs in developing countries. It's exploitation.

[marke]

Not really. You can't really calculate the math like this. Each Iphone made by Apple count $700 toward CHINESE EXPORT of total $350B, NOT US's export. However, each Iphone exported to US, APPLE takes $400, Cheap labor in China takes $5. China can easy replace Iphone with other 5 equally great, but much cheaper Chinese Brands. They just have yet take have the determination that step yet! (This will help them make this decision.) LMAO

Chinese are not dumbasses.

[mfundimkhize]

If trade deficits are not a problem then why doesn't any country want one? No single country in the world celebrates trade deficits. Thry all strive to have it as low as possible in fact they would prefer a trade surplus.