Readers Question: What is the importance of bank lending to the UK economy? Bank lending plays an important role in influencing levels of consumer spending, investment and economic growth. When bank lending reduced at the start of the credit crunch in 2008 – this decline in bank lending was a significant factor in causing the …
A quick look at a comparison between the economies of Portugal and Spain, with the economies of the UK and US. Four countries with very different paths of unemployment.
This graph illustrates some of the different causes of the US budget deficit. Source: CBO estimates 2012 | via Krugman This shows how the deficit has been affected by certain issues. Cyclical factors Cyclical spending and lost tax revenues due to recession. Expansionary fiscal policy (economic recovery measures) Financial intervention to bailout banks and financial …
In the lead up to the Euro debt crisis, there was a marked divergence in competitiveness within the Eurozone. In fact, some economists suggested that the currency imbalances were the root cause of the Eurozone fiscal crisis. (VOX article) However, recent evidence suggests some restoration of competitiveness within the Eurozone. We can examine competitiveness in …
Readers Question: Can you tell what Portugal has done to reduce the Current Account GDP deficit so steeply? The reduction in the Portuguese deficit is quite striking. In researching the answer to this question, I came up with a different post – The Portuguese Economic crisis From what I can gather, essentially, the rapid reduction …
A look at the future prospects for the Pound in the coming months of 2013. The Sterling index measures the value of the Pound Sterling against a basket of trade weighted currencies. In Dec 2011 the index was 80.4 By Oct 2011, the exchange rate index has increased to 83.6 This modest appreciation in the …
There was reduction in the surplus on the current account of the French balance of Payments between 1998 and 2000. Essay Question: Using the data, assess whether this reflects a deterioration in the performance of the French economy. AQA (15) The current account measures the balance of trade in goods and service between France and …
Some of the supply side policies used in the UK during the 1980s and 1990s. 1. Privatisation. There has been an extensive privatisation campaign, most of the major utilities such as Gas , Water and Electricity were sold by the government and floated on the stock market. In some industries like telecommunications it has led …