Back in March I wrote this essay – Is the US heading towards recession? According to some doom mongers the US is already in recession. They point to the ‘collapsing’ housing market and the rise in ‘repossessions’ The irony is that US economic growth has remained unexpectedly high at 4.9% in 3rd quarter of 2007. …
Amidst all the gloom surrounding global credit markets and house prices, it is easy to forget some of the strengths and developments in the UK economy. One of the most remarkable features of the UK economy is the sustained reduction in unemployment. Falling from a peak of 3 million in 1992, the official method of …
Readers Question: What will happen if OPEC continued to increase oil prices? Firstly, the rise in the price of oil is not just due to the activities of OPEC. It is partly due to the rising demand from countries such as China. If OPEC continue to contribute to higher oil prices in 2008 it would …
Readers Question Is tesco’s power a net benefit or a cost to the wider economy? In the UK, Tesco have over 32% of market share for supermarkets. It is a similar situation as the US, where supermarkets are dominated by Walmart. Tesco is now the largest private sector employer in Europe. (working for Tesco) It …
Indian Economy 2009 Behind China, India is the second fastest growing economy. According to a survey by Goldman Sachs, India will become the 3rd largest economy by 2035. This is measured in $US. If we use PPP (purchasing power parity) which takes into account local purchasing power, India already has the 3rd largest economy. However, …
In many ways the economy is in a good position. The main economic indicators suggest a strong and sustainable economy, which offer good prospects for 2008. Economic growth, at 2.6% is close to the long run trend rate. Unemployment, according to JSA measure, is under 1 million. At 3% of the labour force this is …
Readers Question: What is the most important reason why there is an improvement in the economic growth in the chinese out of the following policies. is it Government policy, education, investment from overseas, cheap labour or natural resources. 1. Cheap Labour China has a large unskilled workforce willing to work for low wages. In the …
Readers Question: over the next 10 years, should the government make greater or lesser use of measures such as road pricing or taxes on fuel to reduce road use? In the UK, road use creates many external costs. This includes increased pollution, congestion, and accidents. Therefore, the social cost of driving is greater than the …