, Columnist
The U.S. Has a 'Leprechaun Economy' Effect, Too
The accounting quirk that caused Ireland's GDP to jump 26 percent last year has implications for Trump's trade policy.
Not just a local.
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A year after statistical quirks sent Ireland's gross domestic product soaring by 26.3 percent, the country is providing an alternative indicator to show how its economy is really doing without the accounting effect of multinational companies' tax shenanigans.
But other countries, including the U.S., are still working with distorted statistics, which cause flawed political responses, such as Donald Trump's focus on the U.S. trade deficit.