A look behind the causes and consequences of the economic crisis, and why it has been difficult to solve. Background to Economic Crisis The 1990s and early 2000s was a period of economic prosperity – Low inflation and high economic growth gave an impression of economic stability, but in other areas of the economy there …
When I was young (let say the 1980s) a Pound shop was a bit of a novelty. Visiting Morecambe, a seaside resort, there would be one or two Pound shops. I only remember being struck how low quality everything was, they were a bit tacky, mainly some useless novelty items and a stick of Blackpool …
Readers Question: Hello I recently saw a programme How China Fooled the World – with Robert Peston and I was wondering what threats and opportunities does the growth of economies like China and India provide to the UK economy? According to the IMF, in 2010, the Chinese economy was $5,878 billion – second only to …
The welfare state typically includes all benefit payments (pensions, unemployment insurance, child benefits, income support e.t.c). The modern UK welfare state was founded in 1948 with the aim of providing ‘cradle to the grave protection’. The intention was that welfare payments would help people through temporary periods of difficulty, such as sickness and unemployment. There …
Just five years after the start of global credit crunch and the UK housing crash, it seems incongruous to be talking about another UK property bubble. It is a paradox that the UK has experienced five long years of recession – the worst decline in living standards in recent times, and yet, property prices still …
Emerging markets are defined as economies which are making the transition from a low income / developing economy to a high income ‘developed’ economy. Key emerging markets include: China, India, Brazil, Mexico. Emerging markets are mostly based in South East Asia (excluding Japan) and Latin America. Emerging markets often have a high rate of economic …
Readers Question. The fear of rising interest rate is spooking markets in USA. So is it because of tapering? – Less and less buying of securities. Or the rise of inflation is expected. Or is it the economy picking up? Firstly, it is important to keep markets in perspective. On Jan 24, the U.S. 10-year …
Readers question: Would Independent Scotland be better with the Pound, Euro or an independent currency? What are the risks for each scenario? Scotland using the Euro If Scotland use the Euro there will be some benefits from having a shared currency with the rest of the Eurozone. Scottish business and personal users will have lower …