Spurring American Entrepreneurship

Trade and Investment

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker Addresses President's Export Council- Secretary Pritzker discussed the important role that the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the 2016 Hannover Messe will play in promoting American competitiveness.

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Prtizker Closing Press Conference Remarks at the 26th Session of the U.S.-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade- Established in 1983, the JCCT is the primary forum for addressing bilateral trade and investment issues and promoting commercial opportunities between the United States and China. At the conclusion of this year’s discussions, Secretary Pritzker, Ambassador Froman, and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced key outcomes at a press conference closing the session.

Positive Progress at the 2015 U.S. China JCCT- Through meetings with our Chinese counterparts, we reached agreement in several areas of importance to U.S. farmers, innovators, manufacturers and workers. We agreed on key outcomes in the areas of intellectual property rights and enforcement, pharmaceuticals and medical devices, competition policy, and technology policy.

The Great Mall of China- Despite slowing growth and a welter of government regulations, there are still good opportunities to be had in the China market, says the 2015 edition of the China Country Commercial Guide (CCG).

TPP Founder Chile: Partner, Investor, Client, Supplier, and Friend- Given these overwhelmingly positive and liberalized trade conditions, the question often arises both at home and in Chile, what does the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) offer in such an advanced trade and investment relationship? Chile and the United States, along with the other TPP partners, are leading the world by arriving at a high-standard, comprehensive, and ambitious agreement that sets new rules for trade for the 21st century.

U.S. Remains No. 1 Choice for Foreign Investment – New Stats Released- These statistics capture the story of new FDI into the United States in 2014 and introduce a perspective on FDI never before seen in official BEA statistics. Highlighting data like this is not only part of SelectUSA’s mission to facilitate and promote FDI into the United States but it also gives our business and policy leaders a quantitative look at how the United States maintains its title as the number one destination for FDI.

Innovation

NACIE Helping Bridge the Startup Funding Gap- Investment in technology innovation and commercialization is critical to the competitive position of the United States and the economic growth of regional clusters. In the medical device industry, it is also critical to the health and well-being of the patient population. This is why the public sector has been a strong source of funding for early stage innovation, but the path toward successful commercialization only begins there.

Environment

NOAA Announces Funding for Six Projects to Increase Coastal Resiliency, Improve Habitat- These on-the-ground restoration projects will not only enhance ecosystem resiliency to the impacts of extreme weather and changing environmental conditions, but will also provide habitat to support sustainable fisheries and contribute to the recovery of protected species.

Using Maps as a Multipurpose Resource- Maps are evolving. No longer are they simply folded paper, they are interactive and have data storage options. The world is at your fingertips. The question is how can we combine geospatial and textual data into one resource?

Operational Excellence

Improve Financial Performance . . . Even When Losing- Losing can actually have its benefits. And for Baldrige users, it’s a common saying that everyone is a winner who takes that first step. Because the most important reason for using the Baldrige Excellence Framework is not to win an award but to improve financial and business performance, said Juran Global CEO Dr. Joseph A. DeFeo.

Data

Statement by U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker on Today's Employment Report- “Today’s employment report is another strong indication of the steady growth in our economy. Our businesses have added 13.7 million jobs over 69 straight months, and in the last three years, we have seen the strongest job creation since 2000. Hourly earnings are also up 2.3% over the last 12 months, supporting income growth for the nation’s households.”

Bureau of Economic Analysis Releases Two New Data Sets to Deepen Understanding of U.S. Economy- BEA released new statistics that show how much consumers spent in every state and the District of Columbia last year as well as in years back to 1997 and the amount and type of new investment made in the United States by foreign direct investors to acquire, establish or expand U.S. businesses.

From Education to Housing Costs, the American Community Survey Provides 10 Years of Local Statistics for Every Community Nationwide- For 10 years, the American Community Survey has provided U.S. communities with detailed information critical for making informed decisions about their people, places and economy. The U.S. Census Bureau released the latest American Community Survey five-year statistics, allowing users for the first time to compare two non-overlapping five-year data sets: 2005-2009 and 2010-2014.

10 Ways the American Community Survey Serves Communities- Since 2005, the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey has provided annual data on more than 40 topics for our nation’s communities. Over the past 10 years, we have seen the many ways local communities, businesses, policymakers and researchers use these statistics to guide decisions that affect the daily lives of the American people.

On the Road in New Mexico —Director John H. Thompson visited New Mexico to participate in the Census Bureau’s fifth tribal consultation meeting this year. These meetings are a key part of preparations for the 2020 Census. Thompson said he is grateful to the All Pueblo Council of Governors and the Pueblo of Isleta for hosting and to the attendees who contributed to a thoughtful and productive discussion.

The Bureau of Economic Analysis wrote Guam’s Economy Grew 1 Percent in 2014, New Statistics Detailing New Investment in the United States by Foreign Direct Investors Are Now Available,  and BEA Introduces New Measures of the Regional Economy on their blog this week.

Construction Spending (Construction Put in Place) – October 2015: Total construction activity for October 2015 ($1,107.4 billion) was 1.0 percent above the revised September 2015 ($1,096.6 billion).

Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories and Orders – October 2015: New orders for manufactured goods in October increased $6.8 billion or 1.5 percent to $473.9 billion.

U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services – October 2015: The goods and services deficit was $43.9 billion in October, up $1.4 billion from $42.5 billion in September, revised. October exports were $184.1 billion, $2.7 billion less than September exports. October imports were $228.0 billion, $1.3 billion less than September imports.

Commerce Data in the News:

CBS News cites Census Bureau statistics on families and living arrangements from the Current Population Survey to write that about 9 percent of wives earn at least $30,000 more than their husbands, marking a gain of 3 percentage points during the past 15 years, in the article, The Rise of the Breadwinning Wife.

24/7 Wall Street cites Census Bureau statistics on population, household income, educational attainment and property taxes to write that domestic migration destination is greatest in Florida, Texas and South Carolina in the article, 7 States Where Americans are Moving.

The Bureau of Economic Analysis’ data on personal consumption expenditure by state was recently highlighted in a recent Bloomberg article: We’re No. 1 In Income But Not in Spending.

BEA’s U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services release was mentioned in a recent Newsroom America article: U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services.

BEA’s personal consumption expenditure by state data was recently used in the Charlotte Business Journal: N.C. Personal Consumption Outpaces Southeast and Nation.

The Bureau of Economic Analysis data about its new foreign direct investment in the U.S. 2014 was recently mentioned in a Newsroom America article: New Foreign Direct Investment in the United States, 2014.

NOAA National Weather service discussed the records established during the Pacific Hurricane Season in a recent article in the New Orleans Times-Picayune, 2015 Pacific hurricane seasons break records.

NOAA and the U.S. Navy's joint discovery of a World War II patrol plane was discussed in a recent story on KHON-TV 2 Honolulu, Rare images of U.S. Navy seaplane lost in Pearl Harbor attack.

The light NOAA's analysis of changes in sea shells sheds on climate change was discussed in a recent New York Times article, What Climate Change Looks Like: Dissolving Shells.

Data Releases Next Week:  Quarterly Financial Report/Manufacturing, Mining and Wholesale Trade: Q3 (Census); Monthly Wholesale Trade: October (Census);   Quarterly Services: Q3 (Census); Advance Monthly Sales for Retail and Food Services: November (Census); Manufacturing and Trade Inventories and Sales: October (Census)