Go to www.census.gov/foreign-trade/balance
and assess the recent flow of trade (merchandise and services) between China and the U. S. Assess the change in the volume of trade between the U. S. China over the past few years. You may also find the additional websites useful here (such as www.ita.doc.gov ).
Question 1: Does it appear that business relations between the two countries are increasing or decreasing based on this information?
Explain the trend in trade over the past several years and analyze any trends noted in the data you provide. You are welcome to include a chart of actual trade statistics for U.S./China international trade that you are able to construct to help in your analysis and explanation.
Question 2: What does the trend in the volume of trade indicate about the potential number of Chinese students that might consider enrolling in U. S. universities?
Go to the websites (such as www.stockmarkets.com) to assess updated economic information about China’s financial markets. The stock market is sometimes used as an indicator of expected business conditions in China, which could affect the number of students who can afford a college education in the U. S.
Question 3: Based on recent stock market conditions, is the outlook favorable or unfavorable for your business? Explain how and why this information is/might be relevant to your business and what the current data indicate for the future potential of your business.
Your business is exposed to potential movements in the exchange rate of the Chinese “Yuan” or “Reminbi”, (abbreviated as “RMB”) as is explained in several of the following websites:
www.oanda.com, www.finance.yahoo.com, or www.bloomberg.com
Go to one of the websites to obtain exchange rate information and assess recent exchange rate movements of the RMB with respect to the U.S. Dollar (USD):
Question 4: How has the exchange rate of China’s currency changed over the last year (appreciating or depreciating as determined by the equation)? What is the long-term trend of the RMB/USD Exchange rate?
