User blog comment:Zippertrain85/"Why the Empire Should Prevail Over the Stormcloaks! Part 3 (Economics)" Refuted/@comment-17114085-20131229122728

Zipper you forgot one of Skyrim's most important resources. The silver mines in the Reach, its the whole reason of the Silver-Bloods to be called that. Another ting Skyrim has enough farms to sustain itself. In fact one of the things Skyrim most has is Farms and Mines, look at Dawnstar for example, a major mining town that ships to the whole Empire/tamriel, and according to one of the Ship captains there trade with Hammerfell is as strong as ever.

Speaking of Hammerfell, they aren't "Busy dealing with the dominion" their war with the dominion ended in a truce long ago.

Also Morrowind is perfectly fine, and has good relations with Skyrim, because Skyrim was the only province that helped them after the argonian invasion.

Now about the EEC, they aren't stupid, they are a business, and a business's main goal is to earn money, they would never stop trade just because the Emperor told them to. Evidence of this is the fact they still trade with a stormcloak occupied Windhelm, in fact its one of their two Skyrim headquarters.

In conclusion Skyrim is economically strong, and doesn't necessarily need the Empire for their economy to survive. Now its obvious their economy will hurt a little if trade with the Empire ends but they will easily survive.