A trade deficit implies the value of imports of goods is greater than exports. (M>X) The trade deficit is an important component of the current account on the balance of payments. Sometimes people use a trade deficit and a current account interchangeably, but in the UK this is not correct. The current account also includes …
Readers Question: How do bond spreads affect the value of the Dollar or Euro? A bond yield refers to the interest payment that you receive from holding the bond yield. If the yield is 4%, you can expect £4 a year from a £100 bond. A bond spread refers to the differences in bond yields. …
Readers Question: What is the UK’s target for economic growth? Economic growth is the annual % increase in national output (Real GDP) The UK doesn’t have an explicit target for economic growth (for example, we have an inflation target of CPI 2%+/-1.) However, the government will aim to achieve economic growth close to the …
Readers Question: What policies could be used to ease pressure on housing market? Firstly, the main pressure in the UK housing market is the persistent and continued above inflation price increases. Back in 2004, Kate Barker’s report into housing market trends found that the UK would need to build 250,000 houses to reduce the house …
Readers comment on – House prices stats Excuse me for pointing out the obvious, but why are those ratios (House price to incomes) unsustainable if interest rates stay low? It’s the ratio of house-price-multiplied-by-interest-rate to earnings that determines affordability, not ratio of house price to earnings. If rates fall as prices rise, then the first …
Readers question: What happens to the underlying money (supply) if someone destroys currency rather than saving it or spending it? The money supply is the total stock of notes, coins and bank deposits in the economy. If money is destroyed (taken out of circulation) and not put back in by the Central Bank, then the …
The Euro is the single European countries adopted by 18 out of 28 EU countries. The UK has not joined. The Euro involves: Common currency Common monetary policy – Eurozone interest rates set by the ECB in Brussels. Some fiscal rules, e.g. The Fiscal Compact (2012) limiting the amount of government borrowing (a balanced budget …
Readers Question: How Has China’s Economic Industrialisation affected the UK’s Economy? And What Policies Could The UK Government Implement To Rectify The Problems Created From China’s Growth? The rapid growth of China’s economy has had various effects on the UK economy – some positive and some which have created challenges and problems for the UK. …