Ireland has introduced an interesting law, which has placed a 15 cent tax on the plastic bag. Combined with an advertising campaign to make the plastic bag unacceptable, use has fallen between 90-94%. Within a few weeks, there was a visual improvement in the number of plastic bags littering the environment. Other countries such as …
Readers Question: Which businesses are likely to benefit from a recovery in the housing market? I think it is a little premature to talk of a recovery in the housing market. But, nevertheless when there is a recovery in the housing market the following firms will benefit. House Builders. At the moment there is a …
Readers Question: Why the fire service is a public domain and how is the fire service a merit good I think you mean why is the Fire Service a public good? A public good has 2 aspects. Non rivalry – Once consumed doesn’t reduce the amount available to others Non excludability – Once it is …
Predicting exchange rates is not as easy as some experts may suggest. There are many factors at work in determining exchange rates – economic fundamentals are only part of the equation. To predict future exchange rate movements we need to look at a variety of factors. The most important include: Interest Rate Movements. Interest rates …
Definition of Hedging – Setting up an investment positions which helps to protect against losses from a related investment. For example, if you export goods to the US, an appreciation in the exchange rate can make your exports uncompetitive. Therefore, you can hedge against your position by buying Sterling futures. If sterling appreciates, your exports …
Readers Question: What counts as an import on the Balance of Payments? Current Account measures trade in: Goods, Services, Investment incomes Net Transfers A Debit on the credit account occurs when the UK imports goods and therefore money flows from the UK to oversees to purchase it. If debits are greater than credits the UK …
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 …
When we buy a packet of cigarettes for $8, we may think that this is the personal cost. But, a new study claims the real personal and social cost of smoking a pack of cigarettes is closer to $200. pdf of report – Report by Kip Viscusi and Joni Hersch To arrive at these statistics …