What causes a government to default on its debt

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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 …

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Historical Interest Rates UK

UK base-rates-1975-2022

Historical Interest Rates in UK since 1800 Interest rates in the UK since 1800. Bank Rate 1830–1972 and 2006–09, Minimum Lending Rate 1972–81, London clearing banks’ base rate 1981–97, repo rate 1997–2006.  End year observation.

Are we set for a housing market crash?

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When I started teaching economics in the early 2000s, I remember quite a few commentators predicting imminent house price falls because house prices were overvalued by historical trends, I used to occasional dip into house price crash forums to see a debate about when prices would fall. Yet, since 2000, even accounting for the financial …

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Effect of raising interest rates

effect-low-interest-rates

Higher interest rates increase the cost of borrowing, reduce disposable income and therefore limit the growth in consumer spending. Higher interest rates tend to reduce inflationary pressures and cause an appreciation in the exchange rate. Higher interest rates have various economic effects: Effect of higher interest rates Increases the cost of borrowing. With higher interest …

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Would falling energy prices cause deflation?

Readers Question: As the cause of inflation to a large part is down to energy costs, if they are temporary, will we see large deflation if we see a return to something close to ‘normal’? Typically deflation would be a bad thing, but in this case would it be? Firstly, you are correct a large …

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Impact of Russian sanctions on Europe and the West

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In March 2022, the EU, US and other western countries introduced a range of sanctions on the Russian economy. These sanctions have hurt the Russian economy, but they are also causing unprecedented strain on the West and Europe in particular. The big economic threat to Europe involves: Higher inflation from rising energy prices Threat of …

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