High interest rates and falling house prices will fundamentally alter both the housing market, and also the economy. The last two house price crashes co-incided with two deep recessions and if prices fall as much as expected, it will worsen an already weak economy. But, it is not all bad news, falling prices could be …
The UK economy is in dire straights. High inflation, low growth and rising debt. Since 2007, productivity has slowed down, leading to lost output and one of the worst growth rates in the OECD. The brunt of the slowdown has been felt by average workers, who have seen an unprecedented fall in real wages and …
Since 2016, the UK economy has performed poorly, – weak Pound, high inflation, falling real wages, and a worrying decline in business investment. There are mitigating factors, such as Covid and the Ukraine war, but despite this, the UK seems to be performing relatively badly compared with other countries, with one of the lowest rates …
A look at the economic impact of falling house prices. Readers Question: Explain why a decrease in the price of houses can lead the economy to experience a recession. In summary: falling house prices reduce consumers’ main form of wealth. This tends to cause lower spending and lower economic growth due to a negative wealth …
The UK government faces a perilous situation. In the short-term, there is a combined threat of an energy crisis, high inflation, risk of an imminent recession and a falling value of Sterling. On top of that, there are long-term problems such as climate change, a slowdown in growth and productivity, and rising debt to GDP. …
Trickle down economics is a term used to describe the belief that if high-income earners gain an increase in salary, then everyone in the economy will benefit as their increased income and wealth filter through to all sections in society. How the trickle-down effect may work in theory If the richest gain an increase in …
Politicians often promise tax cuts can lead to higher productivity, higher economic growth, and even pay for themselves through a boost to long-term incomes. These promises may chime with the electorate who tend to prefer promises of tax cuts. But, do tax cuts really increase economic growth? There are two impacts of lower tax. Increasing …
The EU relies heavily on Russia for the import of natural gas – around 40% of all natural gas at the start of 2022. Since June 2021, there has been a 60% cut in Russian gas, and this has caused considerable distress in the form of higher prices, inflation, lower economic growth and potentially devastating …