The U.S. should not be in hock to another country, but we cannot entirely blame China, and in the short run there is no way out.

In Tennessee, the number of exporters has risen 10 percent since the recovery began in 2009.

How adaptable is Tennessee's economy to changing world markets?

How can we tell if firms are exporting “as much as they should"? Are Tennessee companies exporting more (or less) than their national peers? Export statistics may suffer from a significant bias. States with large ports are believed to be credited with substantially more exports than they...

In Tennessee, the number of exporters has risen 10 percent since the recovery began in 2009.

How adaptable is Tennessee's economy to changing world markets?

In the past several months, both the International Trade Administration and the Brookings “Export Nation” project have released estimates of metro-area exports for 2012. They provide some interesting details about the export activity of Tennessee’s 10 metro areas.

Last year’s foreign investment was actually higher than for the years 2008, 2009, and 2010 combined.

The fit between Tennessee exports and the strength of the dollar is stronger than a decade ago.

The hottest acronym in international economics must be "BRIC." This refers to Brazil, Russia, India, and China: the largest and most influential countries of the developing world. These nations will of necessity become much bigger targets for U.S., and Tennessee, exporters.