Quotes by Martin Feldstein

“The Chinese are very cautious, but they have now put their toes in the water and decided its OK, so they will move again.”

“It is certainly something to worry about. Continuing to attract funds when the current account deficit is that large and continuing to rise is bound to become a serious problem.”

“U.S. imports have contributed to the growth of output and employment in many countries around the world.”

The only way that we can reduce our financial dependence on the inflow of funds from the rest of the world is to reduce our trade deficit.

To finance this trade deficit, the U.S. has to borrow from the rest of the world or sell American assets like stocks, businesses, and real estate to the rest of the world.

But because we in the United States finance our current account deficit by borrowing in our own currency, we can move to a more competitive dollar without the adverse effects that followed currency declines in other countries.

Increased government spending can provide a temporary stimulus to demand and output but in the longer run higher levels of government spending crowd out private investment or require higher taxes that weaken growth by reducing incentives to save, invest, innovate, and work.