The Sahm rule is a way of predicting a recession from changes in the unemployment rate. “(The) Sahm Recession Indicator signals the start of a recession when the three-month moving average of the national unemployment rate (U3) rises by 0.50 percentage points or more relative to its low during the previous 12 months.” (Sahm Rule) …
Recessions (a fall in real GDP) are primarily caused by a fall in aggregate demand (AD). A demand-side shock could occur due to several factors, such as A financial crisis. If banks have a shortage of liquidity, they reduce lending and this reduces investment. A rise in interest rates – increases the cost of borrowing …
Definition of stagflation Stagflation is a period of rising inflation but falling output and rising unemployment. Stagflaton is often a period of falling real incomes as wages struggle to keep up with rising prices. Stagflation is often caused by a rise in the price of commodities, such as oil. Stagflation occurred in the 1970s following …
The demand for a good depends on several factors, such as price of the good, perceived quality, advertising, income, confidence of consumers and changes in taste and fashion. We can look at either an individual demand curve or the total demand in the economy. The individual demand curve illustrates the price people are willing to …
Definition The observation that some goods (e.g. water) which are more essential to human life can be cheaper than non-essential goods (e.g. diamonds) Paradox of value – Economics explainedWatch this video on YouTube Explanation The paradox of value examines why goods that are not essential to life can command a much higher price than goods …
Definition Wage-push inflation is the increase in general price level resulting from higher wages in an economy. Explanation of wage-push inflation If firms increase nominal wages by 5%, they experience higher costs of production. This is likely to cause firms to pass the cost increases onto consumers in the form of higher prices. Firms increase …
Definition of oligopoly An oligopoly is an industry dominated by a few large firms. For example, an industry with a five-firm concentration ratio of greater than 50% is considered an oligopoly. Examples of oligopolies Car industry – economies of scale have caused mergers so big multinationals dominate the market. The biggest car firms include Toyota, …
Readers Question: Does inflation causes unemployment? There are a few different scenarios where inflation can cause unemployment. However, there is not a direct link. Often we will notice a trade-off between inflation and unemployment – e.g. in a period of strong economic growth and falling unemployment; we see a rise in inflation – see Phillips …