Interest rates have a strong influence on house prices, principally because changes in the interest rate affect the cost of mortgage payments. How do interest rates affect house prices? If interest rates rise it will have a significant effect on increasing the cost of mortgages. Higher mortgage payments will deter prospective home-buyers – it becomes …
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 …
During the years 1997-2007, there was a significant rise in government spending, though as a % of GDP the rise was less marked. Source: ONS Public Sector Finances MF6U – October 2014 Government spending as a % of GDP A more meaningful comparison is to look at the share of government spending as a % …
In 1979, the election of Mrs Thatcher’s Conservative party led to the introduction of new supply-side policies, which challenged the post-war consensus and tried to implement free-market reforms into the UK. Intellectual support for supply-side economics Mrs Thatcher was impressed with right-wing intellectuals such as Milton Friedman and F. Hayek. They were critical of social …
To what extent can supply side policies reduce unemployment? To try and reduce unemployment, the government can provide interventionist supply-side policies, such as better training and education or it can try free-market policies, such as increasing labour market flexibility. However, there is a limit because supply-side policies are ineffective in dealing with cyclical (demand-deficient unemployment) …
New trade theory (NTT) suggests that a critical factor in determining international patterns of trade are the very substantial economies of scale and network effects that can occur in key industries. These economies of scale and network effects can be so significant that they outweigh the more traditional theory of comparative advantage. In some industries, …
This is a theory which estimates the likely utility of an action – when there is uncertainty about the outcome. It suggests the rational choice is to choose an action with the highest expected utility. This theory notes that the utility of a money is not necessarily the same as the total value of money. …
In the post-war period, there has been a relative decline in the size of UK manufacturing. UK manufacturing used to account for over 50% of the size of the economy. Now, manufacturing accounts for around 12-15%. However, although there has been a degree of ‘de-industrialisation’ the UK still produces more in absolute terms than previously. …