US trade deficit – Brown Pundits

US Economics and Theory of Collapse

June 8, 2025June 8, 2025sbarrkumAmerica, Blog, Civilisation, Economics, PoliticsAmerica, austerity, budget deficit, civilizational collapse, collapse theory, complexity theory, credit default swaps, debt crisis, diminishing returns, economic self-sufficiency, empire overstretch, energy independence, higher education crisis, infrastructure decay, Joseph Tainter, Korotayev, manufacturing revival, marginal returns, Moody’s downgrade, Planck principle, R&D decline, systemic risk, US decline, US defense budget, US economy, US trade deficit1 Comment

A Theory of Collapse (After a US Economic Synopsis)

Note: Italicized comments are from another Brown Pundits contributor

Unless the US falls hopelessly behind in tech, they are “built” to retain a perpetual competitive edge.

I don’t think you’ve looked closely enough at the economic fundamentals. Off the top of my head:

National Debt: $30+ trillion
Interest on Debt: $1 trillion
Budget Deficit (2024): $1.8 trillion
Trade Deficit: $140.5 billion (heavy reliance on imports)
Defense Budget: $1 trillion

Moody’s recently downgraded US debt from Aaa to Aa1, citing worsening risk indicators. This downgrade was hard to avoid—US sovereign CDS spreads are now wider than those of China and Greece, suggesting higher default risk. Continue reading US Economics and Theory of Collapse