I was interested to hear that Marks and Spencers will be charging for plastic bags. The idea could be a clever marketing ploy. Most M&S customers have quite an inelastic demand. It is the kind of customer who is quite happy to pay £3 for a ready made meal. If you ready to pay 50% …
For those studying Economics A-Level at the moment, you will probably not remember the poll tax. This tax introduced by Mrs Thatcher was probably one of the most unpopular taxes ever introduced. It was widely condemned as being unfair and inequitable. The principle of the council tax was that everyone would pay the same. Whether …
Why do Firms Make some Goods Unattractive/difficult to buy? It may seem strange but sometimes firms purposefully want to make a good unattractive. Why is this? Tesco value products have an unattractive design. It shouts out “I’m cheap and low quality”. What happens is that customers with inelastic demand, – people who give importance to …
Readers Question: Which businesses are likely to benefit from a recovery in the housing market? I think it is a little premature to talk of a recovery in the housing market. But, nevertheless when there is a recovery in the housing market the following firms will benefit. House Builders. At the moment there is a …
Equilibrium national income occurs where aggregate supply equals aggregate demand. An increase in equilibrium national income requires an increase in long-run aggregate supply and aggregate demand. Equilibrium national income and Keynesian Consumption function We can also show equilibrium national income using a Keynesian consumption function. In this case, an increase in domestic aggregate demand (C+I+G) …
Graph showing Ratio of House prices to Incomes This graph shows an interesting increase in the ratio of house prices to income. It is well know that UK house prices have increased significantly since 1993. In some areas the house price increase has been at least 300%, since the early 1990s. However, since 1998, house …
Readers Question: Does mortgage equity withdrawal enhance economic growth? There is good evidence that mortgage equity withdrawal can lead to higher levels of consumer spending and economic growth Definition of Mortgage equity withdrawal – Mortgage equity withdrawal occurs when homeowners remortgage taking out bigger loans to take advantage of rising property values. Suppose you bought …
About £77 billion was wiped from the value of leading FTSE 100 companies over fears of a US recession. The FTSE 100 index is now down to its lowest level in 19 months. In particular, stock markets were unimpressed by President Bush’s plan for tax cuts. In American politics tax cuts are often seen as …