Last week I accompanied a friend with a broken arm to a local hospital. We arrived 8 pm, but we didn’t get seen until 5 am. This kind of experience is typical of the recent surge in waiting lists that we have seen in the NHS. We can see it in waiting lists for A&E, …
A look at the economic impact of falling house prices. Readers Question: Explain why a decrease in the price of houses can lead the economy to experience a recession. In summary: falling house prices reduce consumers’ main form of wealth. This tends to cause lower spending and lower economic growth due to a negative wealth …
Over the next few decades, the Indian economy is forecast to become one of the world’s fastest-growing economies – adding an estimated $400bn a year to its GDP. During the twentieth century the Indian economy often struggled to increase living standards, but in the past decade has started to throw off the shackles of colonialism, …
Interest rates are a tool of monetary policy. When the economy is overheating, the Central Bank can raise interest rates to cool demand and avoid an inflationary boom. In an ideal world, the Central Bank would make small adjustments in interest rates to fine-tune the economy and avoid booms and busts, but the situation the …
In 1952 when Queen Elizabeth II came to the throne, the UK was a major economic power, but still reeling from the costs of the Second World War, with rationing and austerity still visible. The post-war period saw a remarkable rising living standards, strong economic growth and radical changes in the economy, but also saw …
Earlier this year, the World Bank warned up to 40 nations are at risk of defaulting on their sovereign debt. Already Sri Lanka, once hailed as an economic jewel, has badly defaulted as the country slides into economic turmoil. But, the bank warns many others, such as El Salvador, Ghana, Tunisia, Egypt, Kenya and Argentina …
Rising petrol, food and energy prices have pushed many households in the UK and around the world into an unprecedented cost of living crisis. In the UK, in March 2022 the ONS reports that 23% of households found it difficult to pay their monthly bills. The cost of living crisis is fundamentally caused by higher …
Generation rent is a term to describe those young adults (18-40) who have been priced out of the housing market – unable to buy and having to pay a high percentage of income on rent. As well as an expensive housing market, generation rent faces financial difficulties from high living costs, student loans and low …