Japan has traditionally had a high savings ratio, but, in past decade the savings ratio has fallen to be close to European / US levels. Graph showing Japan Savings Rates Japan’s economy chasing illusions Since 1998, though Japanese saving rates have declined. The graph is a bit hard to read, but, since 2004, Japanese saving …
Gross interest rate. This is the total interest payable before any deductions such as tax and charges. For example, the gross interest rate on a savings account maybe 4.4% Net Interest Rate. This is the total interest payable after any deductions. For example in the UK, the net interest rate will be the gross interest …
The UK economy faces a few paradoxes. Low Growth – High Inflation. Firstly, after a deep recession the economic recovery is weak. In theory, high unemployment and low growth should lead to low inflation. However, due to rising energy and food prices, we have inflation above target. This presents a conundrum for the Bank of …
For manufacturing investment, the real interest rate is important for determining the viability of investment. Lower interest rates make it cheaper to borrow. Therefore lower interest rates tend to encourage business investment. High real interest rates discourage investment. How interest rates affect the efficiency of investment At lower interest rates, the marginal efficiency of capital …
Readers Question: Interest rates are determined by the markets and not by the Bank of England-where’s the truth? An interesting question. Firstly, it is worth bearing in mind that there are different interest rates in an economy. Bank of England Base Rate. This is the most important interest rate because it is the rate at …
Will Printing Money and QE cause Runaway Inflation?Watch this video on YouTube After the First World War, the German government were left with huge debts and reparation payments to the Allies. Faced with striking workers the government began printing money to pay workers higher salaries. It gave the government a temporary breathing space, …
Just when you think it couldn’t get any worse, the threat of a global trade war has contributed to confidence in the UK economy plummeting to record lows. The IPSOS economic index is running at the lowest level since records began. But, it’s more than just international turmoil; dissatisfaction with the economy has been building …
Do you remember when Covid led to empty shelves, panic buying of toilet paper and then when it all ended – a surge in inflation? It was only 3 years ago, though it feels longer. However, US stores could soon see looming shortages as 145% tariffs on China caused a sharp drop in US imports …