Readers Question:… So, basically we have the FED using it’s money to liquidate the fund’s of other people, and those other people are lending, or a portion of them are lending, the fund’s that they now have because of the FED. Wouldn’t it make more sense for the FED to, instead of purchasing bonds so …
One of the great challenges facing Europe is the persistence and increase in levels of unemployment. The highest rates of youth unemployment are in Spain (51%) and Greece (51%). Other countries include Italy 35%, France 21%, UK 21%, Portugal 36% Youth Unemployment in the UK This shows how youth unemployment in UK has increased since …
Preliminary figures for Q1 2012 show the UK has re-entered recession, with a second successive quarter of negative economic growth. The negative economic growth occurred despite a small growth in the service sector and spurt in retail sales of petrol. The biggest factor contributing to the negative economic growth came from the construction sector, which …
Since coming to power, the Conservatives have made reducing the UK’s record peace time deficit a high priority. It has been argued that drastic action was necessary to avoid the UK’s debt becoming unmanageable. David Cameron argues without rapid spending cuts, the UK could be facing rising interest rates and the prospect of debt default, …
Most European countries have embarked on a range of austerity measures designed to reduce their budget deficits. Why have austerity measures been pursued with great vigour in Europe? What is impact of austerity measures on economic activity? Why Austerity? Pressure from Bond Markets. Investors have become nervous about holding debt in several Euro-zone countries. This …
What are the Global Imbalances? US ran a large and persistent current account deficit (imports higher than exports) of up to 6.5% of GDP in 2006 Diagram of Current Account Surplus / Deficit in US and rest of world source: (1) 2. China ran a large current account surplus, accumulated foreign reserves, kept Yuan undervalued …
Quantitative easing aims to stimulate the economy and reduce gilt yields. A consequence of this is that lower bond yields lead to lower income for savers. This particularly affects pensioners who rely on income from savings to provide for their retirement. Since QE was implemented in March 2009, the income paid by pension annuities has …
Danny Blanchflower, a former member of the Bank of England, writes a critical piece on the Bank of England’s forecasting record in the Independent. “The second chart gives cause for concern because for the umpteenth time the MPC is forecasting rapid recovery, which is extremely unlikely to happen, and it seems that little has been …