2024-03-30 09:12
It’s official the UK entered into recession last year with GDP falling over a period of six months. However, with only a 0.4% fall in GDP some argue the recession is relatively mild… Read More
Blog Directory > Politics Blogs > Global Affairs Blogs > Economics help blog | Economics Help global-affairs Blog >
2024-03-28 08:05
Iss the UK broke? How much can the government borrow? Has the government run out of money?
Firstly, how does the UK compare to other countries? The UK is not alone in running governme… Read More
2024-03-22 12:51
From the mid 1990s, the buy-to-let sector saw impressive growth. By 2016, 2 million individuals owned a buy to let property. But, recent events have seen a sharp decline in buy-to-let mortg… Read More
2024-03-21 12:50
Q. Is there hope for the UK economy?
There is hope for the UK, despite very poor past 15 years, it is still a moderately wealthy country, with reasonably basic economic institutions. We are… Read More
2024-03-13 08:13
For three decades, the Chinese economy boomed, transforming itself into the world manufacturing hub.
Up to 70% of suppliers on Amazon rely on Chinese supply chains. Buy any electric good an… Read More
2024-03-06 16:20
The US is one of the richest economies in the world – with the 7th highest real GDP per capita.
Not only that but the economy is booming with much higher rates of economic growth than… Read More
2024-03-05 16:19
Since the financial crisis of 2009, the UK economy has experienced a real decline in economic fortunes.
Last month, we entered a recession, but real GDP per capita has been stagnating for a… Read More
2024-03-01 16:07
After a sharp increase in the 1980s, income inequality appears to have slightly improved in recent years.
However, this general measure of inequality fails to capture many of the increasing… Read More
2024-02-29 16:07
Last week the UK economy slipped into recession. But, was it avoidable? Why are interest rates not coming down when households are facing the greatest squeeze on incomes for a generation? Al… Read More
2024-02-22 08:33
The UK is in recession, but the real story is 13 years of stagnant wages. 0% growth in real wages is unprecedented in the post-war period. This period of flatlining growth is leading to hig… Read More
2024-02-14 08:57
When we are young, we are taught money doesn’t grow on trees, but that’s not quite true, with QE the Central Bank can create as much money as it likes. And since the financial… Read More
2024-02-13 09:15
In 2010, the UK hit at a record peace time deficit. The incoming government sought to reduce debt through austerity.
In 2010, the UK hit at a record peace time deficit. The incoming govern… Read More
2024-02-13 08:56
Canada has an abundance of natural resources.
It has the third largest known supplies of oil in the world, helping to make it the 10th largest economy in the world and top 20 GDP per capita… Read More
2024-02-05 10:05
The UK housing market is in crisis, with prices eight times median incomes.
The latest idea to be floated is the return of government-backed 99% mortgages. The logic is that since house pri… Read More
2024-02-02 09:14
Whilst the UK economy slips into recession, The American economy is booming. Latest figures show US growing at nearly 5%, but the UK economy seems stuck in a near perpetual stagnation. (Ge… Read More
2024-01-31 15:22
The US economy is currently booming with economic growth of over 3%, record employment figures and core inflation falling to 2%.
It has been labelled the Goldilocks economy – everyth… Read More
2024-01-29 10:12
Thatcher introduced a break with the post-war consensus introducing new economic ideas such as
Monetarism
Free-market supply side policies
Privatisation
Tax cuts (especially for high income… Read More
2024-01-27 12:20
After decades of high inflation, economic crisis and a stagnant economy.
The new Argentinian president Javier Milei offers a radical plan – end inflation at whatever the cost. He cla… Read More
2024-01-26 12:18
Is the Argentina Economy Doomed to Fail?
In the past 65 years, Argentina has defaulted on debt five times.
It has the highest rate of inflation in the world, and the devaluation in the Pes… Read More
2024-01-24 08:51
With house prices falling in the past 12 months, is it worth waiting to buy or is better just to bite the bullet and not worry about forecasts for interest rates and house prices?
Despite… Read More
2024-01-20 14:17
Last year, Germany was the worst-performing major economy in the world. Real wages have fallen, confidence plummeted and workers are protesting.
Relative growth rates
The only thing incre… Read More
2024-01-18 08:38
The post-war period saw a golden era of home-ownership. Workers from all social classes were able to buy their own home. Home ownership rates rose, and the idea of getting on the housing lad… Read More
2024-01-06 08:24
In 2009, Central Banks around the world cut interest rates dramatically to 0%.
It was supposed to be a temporary reaction to a short-term crisis. Markets and experts all predicted interest… Read More
2023-12-21 09:42
Norway and UK are neighbours, separated only by the North Sea, with its rich mine of oil and gas reserves, but whilst Norway has used its good fortune to become the richest country in the w… Read More
2023-12-15 08:43
Italy ranks 5th in the global league for tourist destinations, and its easy to see why, beautiful countryside, great weather and a rich legacy of art and culture. But, these historic… Read More
2023-12-11 10:22
The UK economy remains on a knife edge, after a year of stop-start economic growth, the Bank of England forecasts continued economic stagnation into 2024. Other forecasters are marginally le… Read More
2023-12-08 08:59
In the past few months, inflation in the UK has halved from 10 to 4.7%. In the US it has fallen to 3% but ask an average shopper and they may express scepticism, the cost of living seems to… Read More
2023-11-28 08:33
In the past few decades, the European economy has fallen behind. Whilst the US economy booms, Europe struggles to avoid recession.
In dollar terms, in 2008, the EU was 90% the size of the U… Read More
2023-11-22 15:16
In the post-war period, the UK economy grow at 2.5% a year, but since great financial crisis, growth has slowed down markedly.
The OECD report that since 2010, the UK has seen growth of ju… Read More
2023-11-18 14:47
And after a decade long-boom in house prices, the past 12 months have been a real turning point. Real house prices have already fallen 13%, and last month Rightmove reported a £6,000 d… Read More
2023-11-17 08:05
Since 2008, the UK’s growth rate has slowed down sharply. Before 2008, productivity grew at 2.2%, but in the past 15 years, it has averaged just 0.5%. It is not just the UK which has… Read More
2023-11-13 09:48
After years of delays and rising costs, HS2 has been severed. The most valuable part of the route, connecting the north to London has been cancelled leaving the least valuable section a subu… Read More
2023-11-07 08:35
Europe’s population is set to fall from 750 million to 570 million within six decades, and this will have profound economic and social costs. In the 1950s, 1 in 12 people were over 65… Read More
2023-11-01 08:33
Last year, the UK saw a record level of net immigration, 600,000 – and although last year was exceptional, it is forecast to remain above pre-Brexit levels until 2026. Last year was al… Read More
2023-10-28 10:06
In recent months, the US Housing Market has seen record house prices, mortgage rates quadrupling from 2 to 8%, and price to income multiples worse than 2006. It is a familiar story across th… Read More
2023-10-21 09:16
Housing has never been more unaffordable. Homeownership rates are falling, rents are rising and young people are trapped by a crazy housing market. Against this backdrop, Sir Keir Starmer sa… Read More
2023-10-17 08:04
China is facing a real property collapse with up to 65 million surplus homes, plummeting demand, falling prices and big property developers drowning under a mountain of debt. In the past few… Read More
2023-10-05 13:08
The UK tax burden is rising to the highest level since the Second World War. The IFS stated it will be a record-breaking parliament for tax rises. The only chancellor to actually cut taxe… Read More
2023-10-04 13:14
UK house prices are overvalued, which is why prices have started falling in most regions across the country. But, the big question is how far do prices need to fall? And where are prices mo… Read More
2023-09-28 07:48
A majority of Europeans fear the EU could break up in the next 10 to 20 years. This is despite support for EU membership increasing in recent years. So why is there concern the world’s… Read More
2023-09-25 08:25
How The Irish Economy Overtaken Brexit Britain?
In the post-war period the Republic of Ireland, stood in the shadow of its richer neighbour, with average incomes nearly three times less tha… Read More
2023-09-23 08:25
Earlier in the year the UK had record-breaking inflation with both headline and core inflation remaining well above the government’s target and being worse than forecast. As bad news o… Read More
2023-09-18 07:46
America is the biggest economy in the world, it is also one of the richest with average GDP per capita of around $80,000. The richest three American billionaires own more wealth than the poo… Read More
2023-09-13 11:01
A list of some modern-day protectionist measures, including tariffs, domestic subsidies to exporters, and non-tariff barriers which restrict imports.
Types of Protectionism
Tariffs &nd&hell…Read More
2023-09-08 13:21
House prices are falling at their fastest rate since 2009. With average prices 5% or £14,600 lower than last year. (Both Halifax and Nationwide reporting similar falls) Whilst Propert… Read More
2023-08-09 07:54
In 2000, the average GDP per capita in the UK was over three times that of Poland. But with the UK economy stuck in a trap of low economic growth, forecasts suggest, on current growth trend… Read More
2023-08-03 11:53
In the space of 18 months, Bank of England base rates have risen from historical lows to 5%, with more expected.
It’s a remarkable turnaround for an economy accustomed to ultra-low bo… Read More
2023-08-01 09:07
High interest rates and falling house prices will fundamentally alter both the housing market, and also the economy. The last two house price crashes co-incided with two deep recessions and… Read More
2023-07-27 08:36
The UK economy is in dire straights. High inflation, low growth and rising debt. Since 2007, productivity has slowed down, leading to lost output and one of the worst growth rates in the OEC… Read More
2023-07-18 13:36
Since 2008, the US economy has grown at double the rate of the UK economy. Since Covid, the UK is stagnating whilst the US has grown strongly. Despite much faster growth, inflation in the U… Read More
2023-07-10 09:40
We face multiple housing crises all at the same time. Mortgage rates are soaring, yet renters face a broken market for years with rising rents and a shortage of properties.
Buying is out of… Read More
2023-07-05 07:32
The economist recently warned that governments are living in a fiscal fantasyland, failing to confront dire and growing levels of debt. High inflation and rising interest rates have caused a… Read More
2023-06-30 07:22
It’s not a good time to be a member of the Monetary Policy Committee. Inflation far exceeding forecasts and the Bank was forced into something of a u-turn belatedly increasing interest… Read More
2023-06-29 17:25
With mortgage rates soaring, and with the most pessimistic forecasts that house prices could fall by up to 35%, does it make sense to wait until after the current housing crisis has eased be… Read More
2023-06-21 08:17
This week 2 year fixed mortgage rates rose above 6% – the highest level since Liz Truss’s mini budget of September.
It threatens to add an extra £2,500 a year to the aver… Read More
2023-06-17 08:46
Last year, the Bank of England made a very gloomy prediction for the UK economy – a deep and prolonged recession.
They were wrong, the UK avoided recession and grew more strongly tha… Read More
2023-06-13 13:53
House prices are falling in most parts of the country. With prices around £15,000 lower than last summer.
After a prolonged boom, the house price inflation rate is turning negative w… Read More
2023-06-03 08:30
In the past 12 months house prices have fallen 16% in Sweden but have risen 4% in the US Yet both housing markets share similarities of overvalued prices and higher interest rates.
Why is… Read More
2023-05-23 14:37
Like many, my fixed rate mortgage deal expires very soon and so I am left with firstly the shock of how much the mortgage will increase and secondly the difficult question of whether to get… Read More
2023-05-12 12:39
After being one of the worst performing currencies of 2022, the Pound has staged an impressive recovery against the US Dollar, rising 15% from the depths of last September’s crisis… Read More
2023-05-11 12:35
As elections loom, the Turkish economy is facing a self-inflicted economic crisis of high inflation, and a cost of living crisis that dwarfs what we see elsewhere in Europe.
In recent year… Read More
2023-05-05 16:43
Last autumn, UK house prices reached record levels – with the highest price to income ratio since the nineteenth century.
And just at this moment, the Truss/Kwarteng budget sent mortg… Read More
2023-05-03 07:12
Greed Inflation is a term used to describe a higher inflation rate due to firms increasing their profit margins. In a period of high inflation, it becomes easier for firms to slip in rising… Read More
2023-04-05 08:12
In both 2007 and 1991, house prices fell 20%, will see something similar this year? The really interesting question is whether house prices return to the post-war levels of affordability li… Read More
2023-03-31 08:08
Given an unprecedented cost of living crisis, the UK electorate are turning against Brexit. The % regretting Brexit has grown to record level.
There is no chance of a quick return to the EU… Read More
2023-03-31 04:49
I began a Youtube channel in 2009, and despite the dire quality got quite a few views. But, I decided there was no future in making videos, so I stuck to writing a blog. In the summer of 202… Read More
2023-03-30 07:24
For the past eight years there has been a net exodus of landlords from the private rental market – tighter regulations, tax changes and now the double whammy of inflation and r… Read More
2023-03-25 06:04
Bank bailouts are back. But, why do governments go to such lengths to save banks who took risks, ignored regulations and made a loss? This title about bank failures destroying the economy is… Read More
2023-03-24 08:42
In 2008, the world global banking system went into meltdown after the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers. It stemmed from a toxic combination of falling house prices, rising interest rates and su… Read More
2023-03-22 19:05
Countries across the world are ageing. We are living longer but birth rates are falling faster than expected.
The UK will soon see more elderly people than young adults. It is the same in t… Read More
2023-03-21 08:51
The UK housing market is something of a national obsession. But, it faces numerous problems
High prices (especially affecting younger people)
High cost of renting – Shortage of propert… Read More
2023-03-15 18:43
The UK tax burden has increased to the highest level since 1948. In the past three decades, the burden has risen from 28% to 37% of GDP and will continue to rise with the typical household e… Read More
2023-03-07 09:05
Brexit Costs include
Food inflation/Food shortages
Devaluation of Pound
Slower economic growth
Fall in tax revenue/less spending
Custom Duties and Tax
Decline in Trade
Fall in Business Inves… Read More
2023-03-07 08:50
Last week, the Nationwide reported a sixth consecutive monthly fall in house prices. They are now 6% down on last summer’s peak with buyers able to get an average £14,000 off the… Read More
2023-02-28 08:43
Many young people will understandably be hoping and praying that there is a substantial fall in UK house prices to make them affordable and escape the broken rental sector. However, if there… Read More
2023-02-23 15:10
In the past 13 years, the UK has seen an unprecedented stagnation in real incomes. If Pre-crisis growth had been maintained, real incomes would be around £7,000 higher.
Whilst global… Read More
2023-02-18 08:48
Do we really need to build 300,000 Homes a year – How Bad is the Housing Shortage?
When we talk about UK housing, we tend to think of an acute shortage. And it is not surprising given… Read More
2023-02-16 13:15
How many migrants have come to the UK in recent years?
Between 1991 and 2021, the ONS estimate
14.64 million immigration
10.36 million emigration
5.55 – Net Migration (average of 177,0… Read More
2023-02-15 12:22
Since 2016, the UK economy has performed poorly, – weak Pound, high inflation, falling real wages, and a worrying decline in business investment. There are mitigating factors, such as… Read More
2023-02-08 16:31
Is the UK housing market fundamentally overvalued?
Recently, I came across an interesting video which likened the UK housing market to a giant ponzi scheme. But is UK housing like a pack of… Read More
2023-02-05 09:02
An increasing proportion of Britain’s regret Brexit. The gap has surged to the highest level since 2016. And it is a gap that is set to grow as pro-European young voters replace older… Read More
2023-01-27 14:10
After inflation has reached the highest levels for decades it is set to fall dramatically over the next few months. I’ll explain why this is, why we will not notice much difference and… Read More
2023-01-21 09:39
In 2021, Russia was the largest net exporter of gas and oil in the world. Yet a series of strategic blunders has seen its status as a major player slip away. Its high risk gamble to cut gas… Read More
2023-01-18 08:57
Since their peak in August 22, UK House prices have fallen 5%, but the big question is how much will they fall in the next 12 months? Expert predictions range from a modest 2% decline to a f… Read More
2023-01-14 09:45
In 2016, some argued the UK had the best of both worlds – membership of the EU, but opt outs from the Euro and Schengen Agreement, plus a generous rebate.
However, since leaving the E… Read More
2023-01-14 09:15
2022 was a shocking year for the world economy, with the Ukraine war pushing up inflation and oil prices, causing economic disruption and lower growth.
But, the IMF and World Bank predict 2… Read More
2022-12-20 09:43
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 w… Read More
2022-12-13 12:53
Since privatisation in 1989, water bills have risen 40% and the industry is profitable for shareholders. Yet are households getting benefits? In recent years, we have seen a surge in the dis… Read More
2022-12-08 10:22
The past couple of years have seen a surge in house prices around the world. This has pushed house price-to-income ratios to record levels – in many cases, outstripping the last boom o… Read More
2022-12-06 09:55
Nearly two years after leaving The Single Market, the UK economy is facing a host of problems including high inflation, low investment and falling growth. All problems exacerbated by Brexit… Read More
2022-12-02 13:00
Since the end of 2019, the US economy has grown at the fastest pace in the G7.
President Biden can claim the fastest job growth of any president.
Yet despite strong growth in jobs and GDP… Read More
2022-12-01 15:08
Britain is facing a chronic backlog in many public services. This includes record NHS waiting lists, a shortage of housing, delays in the criminal system, and a surge in unprocessed asylum r… Read More
2022-12-01 10:05
Since 1950, health care spending in the UK has increased dramatically in real terms (adjusted for inflation). In the post-war period, we have also seen a sharp rise in public health care spe… Read More
2022-11-29 11:08
In recent years, the UK private rental market has seen a surge in demand, and the average price of renting rising 40%. Yet it is the least favoured form of housing tenure, with many renters… Read More
2022-11-24 15:52
In the past few decades, the Chinese economy has grown at a breakneck speed, allowing living standards to soar with GDP per person growing 500% in the past 21 years.
China has become a majo… Read More
2022-11-23 09:54
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 twenti… Read More
2022-11-22 09:48
Last Thursday the OBR published a detailed forecast for the UK economy. It made for grim reading – the longest recession for a generation, falling disposable income and real wage grow… Read More
2022-11-17 12:37
Inflation in the UK rose to a 40 year record of 11.1% in Nov 2022 – why is inflation so high and will it come down soon?
The last time inflation was so high was in 1981. But, inflatio… Read More
2022-11-11 12:52
Recently I have been writing a lot about the economic crisis in the UK and the rest of the world. With inflation, rising interest rates and recession, it can all feel a little depressing. So… Read More
2022-11-10 12:32
In September, the Pound plunged to its lowest level on record reaching a low of 1.03 during a day’s trading. The markets were spooked by the government’s unfunded tax cuts and l… Read More
Subscribe to Economics Help Blog | Economics Help
Get updates delivered right to your inbox!