Inflation measures how much the price of goods and services have increased over a period of time; and will have a significant impact on changes in the cost of living. An inflation rate of 5% means that on average the typical household basket of goods (e.g. food, TVs) and services (haircut, restaurant meal) is 5% …
The price of natural gas is determined by several supply and demand factors. Source: IMF Commodity prices (look for left column – excel database) The sharp increase in the price of natural gas in 2021/22 reflects concerns over the availability of supply from Russia and the economic recovery which has led to greater demand. Since …
Recessions (a fall in real GDP) are primarily caused by a fall in aggregate demand (AD). A demand-side shock could occur due to several factors, such as A financial crisis. If banks have a shortage of liquidity, they reduce lending and this reduces investment. A rise in interest rates – increases the cost of borrowing …
Definition The observation that some goods (e.g. water) which are more essential to human life can be cheaper than non-essential goods (e.g. diamonds) Paradox of value – Economics explainedWatch this video on YouTube Explanation The paradox of value examines why goods that are not essential to life can command a much higher price than goods …
Markets are places where buyers and sellers can meet to sell and purchase goods and services. Markets provide places for firms to sell their goods and gain revenue. Markets provide places for consumers to buy the goods and services that they need. Markets are mostly self-regulated, relying on the principles of supply and demand to …
Panic buying – is it rational or irrational Panic buying is a situation where consumers buy an unusually large quantity of a good in anticipation of coming uncertainty. A related concept is ‘surge buying’ where people buy more than usual for rational reasons. Reasons for panic buying could include Health crisis which causes people to …
Labour shortages occur when employers struggle to fill labour vacancies because of insufficient labour applying for the jobs. Labour shortages can occur in geographical regions or in occupations with special requirements in terms of skill or function. Labour shortages can also be seasonal in industries like retail (Christmas) and agriculture (harvest time). Recently, since Brexit …
Back in 2015, I wrote a post about the shortage of lorry drivers in the UK. Six years on and the crisis has got worse. The Road Haulage Association states that a fully functioning UK economy requires over 600,000 drivers, but we are currently 100,000 short. The shortage of drivers is not unique to the …