Readers Question. If central banks collectively and continuously print money, does this mean there will never be a financial crisis and recession? If central banks collectively and continuously print money then we could end up with a different type of financial crisis. Instead of a recession (falling output), we could get a situation of high …
Readers Question: Is it possible for central banks to fail in devaluing their currency since they can print unlimited amounts of money e.g like in the Swiss bank intervention. Do their losses matter, since they can write off their losses at essentially no cost? In theory, there is no limit to the amount of money …
A feature of the UK housing market is the low quantity of new houses built compared to the long term growth in demand. Despite high house prices, firms are unable / unwilling to build as many as market forces dictate. The supply of housing is price inelastic. The lack of supply has meant that the …
I saw this in the Telegraph. The Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) said soaring inflation coupled with low pay rises means household peacetime disposable income is at its lowest since 1921. Rising food, clothing and energy prices mean the average British family will have £910 less to spend this year than they did …
Switzerland has many envious economic data. It has low unemployment, low inflation, low government borrowing (budget surplus in 2010). It’s total national debt is a mere 38% of GDP.It has one of the highest GDP per Capita’s in the world $42,600 (2010 est.) CIA Switzerland. Switzerland is a landlocked country and virtually no mineral resources. …
Readers Question: Can you Spend Your Way to Full Employment? Full employment implies. An economy without a significant negative output gap. Full employment requires positive economic growth, averaging close to the long run trend rate of economic growth. (in UK long run trend rate = 2.5%) Very low unemployment. Economists would say full employment is …
Money Supply is an important indicator of economic activity. A slowdown in money supply growth hints the EU is facing the prospect of very low inflation or even deflation. Since the start of 2010, the growth of M1 has fallen significantly for the Euro area. These figures show the whole Eurozone area, however, in the …
Sterlised Bond Purchases. This occurs when the Central Bank purchase government bonds without affecting the money supply, i.e there will be no inflationary impact of buying bonds from commercial banks.