Lost jobs? Deficits? Not so fast – trade agreements are still a roll of the dice

Everyone from the president to trade analysts can speculate on what the Trans-Pacific Partnership will mean for the US economy, but the simple fact remains: no one can see the future

After all the shouting, are we any closer to knowing whether free trade agreements are good or bad for the country - and for your wallet?

The attempts to provide answers to those questions have been thrust into the spotlight by President Barack Obama's futile last-minute efforts to salvage his power to freely negotiate what would be the world's largest free trade pact, the Trans-Pacific Partnership.