What caused the Wall Street Crash of 1929?

The 1929 stock market crash was a result of an unsustainable boom in share prices in the preceding years. The boom in share prices was caused by the irrational exuberance of investors, buying shares on the margin, and over-confidence in the sustainability of economic growth. Some economists argue the boom was also facilitated by ‘loose …

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Costs and Benefits of Adopting the Euro

costs-of-euro

Readers Question: Evaluate the potential cost and benefits to the UK economy of adopting the Euro.”   Costs of Joining the Euro Loss of independent monetary policy. In the Euro, interest rates are set by ECB but may be inappropriate for UK economy. For example, the 2008 recession hit the UK harder than other European countries …

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Housing market crash

Despite housing being a secure asset, the housing market can be prone to bubbles and periods of rapidly falling prices. In recent years, the period 2005-09 saw a prolonged and significant fall in house prices in both the US and Europe. A housing market crash can be precipitated by a change in economic fundamentals (higher …

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Mental accounting

Mental accounting is a concept to describe how individuals can separate their budget into different accounts for specific purposes. For example, we may earmark $50 a week for entertainment and $100 for food. Mental accounting suggests people do not treat money as fungible (the concept all money is interchangeable), but mentally link spending to particular …

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Problems of free movement of labour

average-wage-rates

In a recent post, we looked at the advantages of free movement of labour. But, what about the problems which might arise from free movement of labour? Firstly, free movement of labour depends on the area in question. To make an easy contrast, initially, the EU was free movement of workers between 12 / 15 …

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Extra charges by airlines

concorde

In recent years, airlines have become adept at charging customers for ‘extra services’. These extra services include: Seats with more leg room. Choosing a seat earlier Paying a penalty to check in at airport (budget airlines) Priority boarding Checked in luggage (budget airlines) Meals debit /credit card surcharges (Ryanair) Economic concepts involved Price discrimination/ price targeting …

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The knowledge economy

jobs without degree

Definition of knowledge economy The sector of the economy which is increasingly based on knowledge-intensive activities, creating a greater reliance on intellectual capital rather than physical inputs. The OECD state the knowledge economy is associated with: High-tech manufacturing (computer, electronics, aerospace), Service sector industries, such as education  healthcare and software design Business services such as …

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Free movement of labour – advantages

Definition of free movement of labour – It means that workers are entitled to look for work in another country, without requiring any visa. Free movement of labour is a fundamental principle of the EU. It means EU citizens are entitled to look for a job in another EU country. Also, qualifications are universally accepted …

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