In the past few decades, the Chinese economy has grown at a breakneck speed, allowing living standards to soar with GDP per person growing 500% in the past 21 years. China has become a major force in the global economy with an estimated 20% of global GDP by 2027. Yet, the seemingly unstoppable rise of …
In recent weeks, the Pound Sterling has fallen – losing value against the dollar and other currencies. This year, the Pound has fallen over 16% against the dollar and 7% on a trade-weighted index. In Summary A falling Pound makes: UK imports become more expensive and UK exports more competitive. A falling Pound tends to …
As the chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng was announcing his radical budget of energy bailout, and tax cuts for corporations and high-income earners, the markets took a dim view. Sterling fell and bond yields on government debt rose as investors sold UK bonds in response to the deteriorating outlook. Uniquely for such a large change of …
Why has the Pound Sterling been falling? The Pound has been in long term decline since after the Second World War, when £1 = $4.05. In recent decades the pound has continued to decline. In particular since the great financial crash of 2007, which hit the UK hard. In recent years, the combination of Brexit, …
Earlier this year, the World Bank warned up to 40 nations are at risk of defaulting on their sovereign debt. Already Sri Lanka, once hailed as an economic jewel, has badly defaulted as the country slides into economic turmoil. But, the bank warns many others, such as El Salvador, Ghana, Tunisia, Egypt, Kenya and Argentina …
Readers Comment. Why doesn’t the Bank of England just print the money instead of borrowing the money? Printing more money doesn’t increase economic output – it only increases the amount of cash circulating in the economy. If more money is printed, consumers are able to demand more goods, but if firms have still the same …
Inflation is generally controlled by the Central Bank and/or the government. The main policy used is monetary policy (changing interest rates). However, in theory, there are a variety of tools to control inflation including: Monetary policy – Higher interest rates reduce demand in the economy, leading to lower economic growth and lower inflation. Control of …
Readers Question: How important is the budget deficit? The budget deficit is the annual amount the government borrow. The government usually financed the budget deficit by selling bonds to the private sector To libertarian and free-market economists, budget deficits are liable to cause significant economic problems – crowding out of the private sector, higher interest …