Obviously, major wars take their toll on a country’s population. They also affect economies in distinct ways. For example, wars affect the manufacturing sector as firms ramp up production of military vehicles, munitions, and the like. The current war in Ukraine, while far away from the United States, may still be having an impact here, given that the United States has promised military equipment to Ukraine. Other countries have done the same and are also ramping up their own purchases. FRED has some related data (at least back to 1994) that may help show what’s happening on the manufacturing front. The Manufacturers’ ... (full story)