Mark Dolliver: Unalmighty Dollar

As brands go, the U.S. dollar has been a highly popular one. But the dollar’s current weakness in world currency markets has Americans feeling nervous about it. In a Harris Poll, 68 percent of the respondents said the weak dollar is bad for U.S. consumers, presumably understanding that it raises the cost of imports; 66 percent said it’s bad for the nation’s economy; 61 percent said it’s bad for the reputation of the U.S. More surprisingly (and less rationally), 55 percent said the dollar’s weakness is bad for exports of American products, though most economists would certainly argue otherwise.