“dark matter,”

In one corner are economists who think the official statistics miss invisible US exports – exports not of goods and services, but of intangibles like knowledge and brand-name recognition, which allow US companies to earn high rates of return on their foreign investments. Proponents of this view claim that if we counted these invisible exports, which they call “dark matter,” much of the US trade deficit would disappear. The dark matter hypothesis has been eagerly taken up by some journalists, who like its upbeat message. It seems to say that the United States’ economy is, as a cover article in Business Week put it, “much stronger than you think.”

For complete IIPM article click here

Source:- IIPM Editorial, 2006