In the UK, there are quite a few different measures of inflation. All measures seek to show the annual change in living costs. However, different measures of inflation give different inflation figures. For example, RPI can often give a higher rate of inflation than CPI. CPI can also be misleading. For example, an increase in VAT …
Private label brands (or own brand labels) are products sold by a retailer with its own packing, but manufactured by a third party. For example, Tesco sell ordinary branded items, such as Heinz baked beans, but also sell their own ‘Tesco Value’ baked beans. Tesco will license a manufacturer to produce baked beans and then …
Readers Question: Why do the costs of living keep going up and our wages do not match it? In recent years, many people have seen the cost of living rising faster than wages. This has led to a fall in real wages – wages increased less than inflation. This effectively means a fall in the …
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. …
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 …
In the late nineteenth century, firms with great monopoly power were the US railroads and oil companies. These days we have a new set of monopolies, companies like Google, Amazon. For example, Amazon has over 30% of the online retail of books and DVDs. Also, a firm with a monopoly selling power like Amazon can …
Interesting post by David Blanchflower about the best form of economic stimulus – Here’s a way to end the slump (Useful for any economic student wishing to understand marginal propensity to consume – mpc) A fiscal stimulus could involve a tax cut or government spending increase. This should increase overall aggregate demand, and boost economic …
Readers Question: What is the importance of bank lending to the UK economy? Bank lending plays an important role in influencing levels of consumer spending, investment and economic growth. When bank lending reduced at the start of the credit crunch in 2008 – this decline in bank lending was a significant factor in causing the …