A credit rating is a judgement made on the security of government bonds. They are made by credit rating agencies who evaluate several factors and decide on their likelihood of default. A triple-A credit rating implies the bond is secure. A junk bond status implies the government is likely to default. Readers Question: Hello, I …
Readers Question: When considering national economic policy government must accept that there is a trade-off between inflation and unemployment. Discuss. National Economic Policy will be concerned with these main macro economic objectives Sustained and sustainable economic growth Low Unemployment Low inflation (inflation target often 2%) Low current account deficit (satisfactory balance of payments) Stable Exchange …
Readers Question: In finance and economics, there are such things as “bubbles” in the economy. And when bubbles start forming, it normally isn’t a good thing. My question is, how many different kinds of “bubbles” are there? Such as the property bubble or stock market bubble. And how do they form and what are their …
The principal-agent problem is a situation where an agent is expected to act in the best interest of a principal. But, the agent has different incentives to the principal, leading to a conflict of interests. A principal delegates an action to another individual (agent), but there are two issues. Firstly, the principal does not have …
Readers Question: Can you please explain how speculators can gain a profit from a speculative attack on currencies? A speculative attack on a currency occurs when ‘investors’ believe that the value of a currency is over-valued and therefore, they sell that currency in anticipation of it falling and buy another currency (e.g. sell their holdings …
There are various economic costs associated with inflation – uncertainty, decline in investment, redistribution from savers to borrowers – but although there are costs with inflation, is zero inflation actually desirable? Governments usually set an inflation target of around 2%. (UK CPI target is 2% +/-1) There are reasons for targetting inflation of 2% – …
Readers Question: Can anyone explain the reasons why the Banking Crisis may have brought about increased unemployment? A banking crisis implies major banks run short of money (liquidity). In a severe banking crisis (e.g. Great Depression 1929-32), some banks may go out of business. If banks do face liquidity shortages or worse, it will have …
Consumer expectations refer to the economic outlook of households. Expectations will have a significant bearing on current economic activity. If people expect an improvement in the economic outlook, they will be more willing to borrow and buy goods. But, with negative expectations, they will cut back on spending and be more risk-averse. Expectations may also influence …