Competitiveness Index: Where America Stands benchmarks current U.S. competitiveness against 20 years of domestic and global economic data. The baseline year, 1986, was chosen because it marked the beginning of cyclical expansion in the domestic economy, a high dollar, and an exploding trade deficit, which put the concept of competitiveness on the U.S. national agenda. It also marked the creation of the Council on Competitiveness. The report is a wide-ranging assessment of how the changing global economy presents new challenges for the future.