Chris Wellisz
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wellisz.bsky.social
Chris Wellisz
@wellisz.bsky.social
Economics writer and editor
As U.S. Guns Pour Into Canada, the Bodies Pile Up www.nytimes.com/2025/12/21/w...
Will Canada slap tariffs on the US to stop the flow of illegal firearms?
As U.S. Guns Pour Into Canada, the Bodies Pile Up
www.nytimes.com
December 22, 2025 at 4:18 AM
Karoline Leavitt asserted with great confidence today that inflation was running at 2.5 percent. In fact the CPI rose 3 percent in September over a year earlier. Why did nobody challenge her?
December 12, 2025 at 8:15 AM
What does Curtis Sliwa do when he’s not running for mayor?
November 4, 2025 at 9:20 PM
Can the imperative to prevent #deforestation be squared with the need to protect the livelihoods of smallholder farmers in developing countries such as Ethiopia? We think it can. Read the blog post by Shane Sela and Iryna Sikora #trade #development blogs.worldbank.org/en/trade/cof...
Coffee beans meet green rules: Reconciling climate and development goals
Small farmers risk losing vital markets if they can't prove their crops aren’t linked to deforestation. A new report shows how better data, land rights, and support can help protect both forests and l...
blogs.worldbank.org
October 22, 2025 at 8:04 PM
Digital trade has huge potential to boost global prosperity, but the right laws are needed. A new World Bank database helps identify regulatory gaps. blogs.worldbank.org/en/trade/unl...
Unlocking digital trade: Database tracks global regulatory readiness
Digital trade is reshaping global commerce, offering growth and inclusion opportunities, especially for developing countries. Digital Trade Regulatory Readiness (DTRR) database maps digital trade law...
blogs.worldbank.org
September 18, 2025 at 8:38 PM
Reposted by Chris Wellisz
Studies have shown that tariffs depress productivity in protected industries. As I show in my latest @CFR.org Geo-Graphics blog post with Elisabeth Harding, U.S. steel is a case in point . . .

"Steel Productivity has Plummeted Since Trump’s 2018 Tariffs"
www.cfr.org/blog/steel-p...
March 7, 2025 at 1:00 AM
The combined wealth of America’s billionaires is greater than the gdp of every country except the US and China.
September 3, 2025 at 10:29 PM
Reposted by Chris Wellisz
"The Dramatic Drop in the Dollar Changes Everything" www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...
"once you adjust for currency moves, every foreign market listed here has outperformed the S&P 500 for much of the year."
September 3, 2025 at 6:20 PM
Reposted by Chris Wellisz
We express our strong support for Federal Reserve Board Governor Lisa Cook and for the longstanding principle of central bank independence. Good economic policy requires credible monetary institutions, and they in turn require the independence of the Fed
tatyanaderyugina.github.io/fed-open-let...
Economists’ Open Letter
tatyanaderyugina.github.io
September 2, 2025 at 8:58 PM
Good piece by @michaelpettis.bsky.social on the fundamental causes of trade imbalances
www.imf.org/en/Publicati...
Behind the Veil of Tariff Fixation
The world needs a broader conception of trade policy that considers how economies allocate income
www.imf.org
September 3, 2025 at 8:25 PM
I'm tired of seeing the word "optics" used and abused. It's one of those inside-the-beltway buzzwords that makes people loathe Washington. Optics is a branch of physics. It doesn't mean "appearances." If you want to say something looks bad, just say so.
September 3, 2025 at 8:15 PM
Global goods trade expanded in the first half of 2025 in the face of trade-policy uncertainty. Read the latest edition of Trade Watch from the World Bank.
www.worldbank.org/en/topic/tra...
Trade Watch Series
Trade Watch Series
www.worldbank.org
August 28, 2025 at 7:38 PM
Here's a formula for cutting the US trade deficit that doesn't involve across the board tariffs.
www.piie.com/blogs/realti...
The origins of the US trade deficit and the futility of tariffs
The most persistent driver of America's unsustainably large trade deficit is foreign investment in the United States, not other countries' trade barriers. If President Donald Trump manages to shrink t...
www.piie.com
August 6, 2025 at 6:04 PM
Decades of trade-driven prosperity rest on a foundation known as the Most Favored Nation principle. The latest edition of Trade Matters explains its importance, and why it's now at risk. m.newsletterext.worldbank.org/rest/head/mi...
m.newsletterext.worldbank.org
August 6, 2025 at 5:48 PM
Wasted food means lost income for farmers and higher prices for consumers. See how Sri Lanka aims to cut waste by upgrading labs and testing facilities to ensure food meets quality standards and moves swiftly across borders. blogs.worldbank.org/en/trade/fro...
From farm to fork: boosting food security by fixing border bottlenecks
With many households struggling to afford enough to eat, ensuring the accessibility, safety, and quality of imported products is vital. A new World Bank commitment of US$100 million in financing aimed...
blogs.worldbank.org
July 30, 2025 at 4:12 PM
What's a more dependable source of revenue, tariffs or domestic taxes? This chart has the answer.
blogs.worldbank.org/en/trade/cha...
Trade & Development Chart: Domestic taxes deliver more fiscal firepower than tariffs
Developing countries rely on trade taxes for ease but benefit more from domestic taxes, which are harder to manage but more stable and efficient.
blogs.worldbank.org
July 11, 2025 at 3:56 PM
Stress in global supply chains increased for a second month in June, driven by congestion in Northern Europe and Southeast Asia. To see a breakdown by port and region (and download data), see the latest update to the World Bank's Global Supply Chain Stress Index.
www.worldbank.org/en/data/inte...
July 10, 2025 at 7:22 PM
A giant in the field
of monetary economics. Unusually for a man of his stature, he radiated kindness and humility.
June 2, 2025 at 1:26 AM
US imports surged early this year ahead of higher tariffs. The jump surpassed the ones that followed the COVID-19 pandemic and the Great Recession of 2007-2009. Developing countries were the biggest beneficiaries. #trade
blogs.worldbank.org/en/trade/cha...
Trade and Development Chart: Pre-tariff surge benefits developing countries
US imports surged in the first quarter of 2025 as businesses tried to beat expected increases in tariffs. Low-income countries saw the largest increases in shipments to the US. Among them was the Demo...
blogs.worldbank.org
May 28, 2025 at 4:09 PM
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/26/b...
Big government subsidies for oil killed the electric vehicle industry
Electric Vehicles Died a Century Ago. Could That Happen Again?
www.nytimes.com
May 26, 2025 at 6:01 PM
Yes, #tariffs are rising. But domestic regulations on product safety and quality also raise the costs of #trade. We explain how developing countries can cope with the proliferation of these “non-tariff measures.” blogs.worldbank.org/en/trade/tra...
Trade's hidden barriers: Navigating non-tariff measures
blogs.worldbank.org
May 21, 2025 at 5:59 PM
Why does @CNN insist on pronouncing Qatar like “cutter?”
May 13, 2025 at 10:15 PM
Lede of the day: Monte Anderson opened a broom closet in his kitchen and pointed to a door handle near a mop and a trash can. Somewhere on the other side lay one small solution to America’s affordable housing crisis.

www.nytimes.com/2025/05/04/b...
Would the Housing Crisis Ease if Boomers Rented Out Their Empty Rooms?
www.nytimes.com
May 12, 2025 at 1:30 AM
Container shipping delays eased in April as less cargo arrived at US ports amid trade-policy turbulence. The World Bank’s Global Supply Chain Stress Index fell to 1.76 million TEUs in April from 2.06 million in March. www.worldbank.org/en/data/inte...
May 5, 2025 at 8:44 PM
Wapo’s David Lynch and Jeff Stein focus on fireworks to illustrate the impact of tariffs ahead of July 4 celebrations.
April 27, 2025 at 8:29 PM