Recently, the Economist published an article (You can fool some of the people…), pointing out several economic commentators were increasingly critical of UK economic policy and the Bank of England’s monetary policy in particular. Is the Bank of England really losing grip of monetary policy? or are they doing the best job in difficult circumstances? …
A debt spiral refers to a situation where a country (or firm or individual) sees ever-increasing levels of debt. This increasing levels of debt and debt interest become unsustainable, eventually leading to debt default. Types of Debt Spirals Public sector debt. This is debt that the government owe to the private sector (e.g. UK public …
When I do mock interviews for PPE at Oxford, one of my favourite questions to ask is. – Who should manage the economy – unelected professional economists or politicians who get elected but might not know about economics? There’s no easy answer. In practise it is an element of both. But, essentially, in a democracy, …
When examining debt levels in the UK, there is government debt – measured by public sector borrowing (often referred to as National debt). See: UK National Debt. We also have private sector debt which is composed of personal loans, personal mortgages, business debts, and debts of the financial sector. Total Debt includes both private sector …
For the past few years, it has felt a bit repetitive always asking the same question – why can’t the EU policy makers see unemployment, social exclusion and rising poverty as the real challenge facing Europe? In the current climate it is not bond yields, inflation targets or levels of debt that are the real …
The EU has recently entered a double dip recession, with southern Eurozone countries particularly badly affected. As a consequence of the recession, EU unemployment continues to rise. Over the last twelve months, the number of unemployed people has increased by 2 million, to reach more than 25 million. The unemployment rate is up to 10.6% …
Summary of UK Economy at the Start of 2013 The UK economy starts 2013 after one of the longest periods of economic stagnation on record. GDP has been flat for the past two years, and real GDP is still way below the 2008 peak. Despite the depressing picture of economic growth, unemployment (7.9%) is much …
Earlier in the year, many were speculating the Euro was a risk of breaking up. Up step Mario Draghi with his promise to ‘save the Euro whatever it takes’ Under Mario Draghi, the ECB have done two things to help reassure bond markets: Long term refinancing for banks – helping to avoid liquidity crisis in …