Greece is the cradle of western civilisation. Philosophy, democracy and unique cultural icons. But, 15 years ago, something terrible started to happen to the Greek economy, which saw one of… Read More

In the past few years, the UK has seen a rise in the tax burden, but at the same, the UK has seen a reduction in the average rate of economic growth. Is low growth leading to a higher tax b… Read More

France and the UK have a long shared history – at times rivals at times allies. Their economies have very similar levels of living standards – ranking 23rd and 24th in global GDP… Read More

In 1978, the Conservative Party hit on a fantastic election poster, Labour’s not working. Unemployment had recently hit 1.6 million or 5%. Ironically, a few years later unemployment wo… Read More

In 1984, Arthur Scargill passionately spoke to 140,000 miners to fight for their jobs, communities and livelihoods. Coal was the black gold which kept the country going. Coal miners were the… Read More

The country of revolution, protest and long holidays is going through another economic crisis, debt is rising  – and dissatisfaction has hit an all-time high. In the past 20 year… Read More

The US economy is booming. It was the fastest-growing economy in 2023 and will be the fastest in 2024. The World Bank claims the US is the world economic dynamo and the contrast between the… Read More

There was a time when Britain led the way in building. Britain built the first railway, the first iron bridge, the first underground system. Isambard Kingdom Brunel was voted the 2nd greates… Read More

Defying predictions of recession and political turmoil, the US economy has grown noticeably faster than its competitors. Led by fiscal expansion and higher consumer spending, the US economy… Read More

Around 2000, something remarkable happened to the Italian economy. It stopped growing and went into a 20 year long-decline. Even if you adjust for population, Italy’s performance was… Read More

Since 2000, there was only one major economy which has seen a fall in real GDP per capita – Italy. In this period, Italy has experienced a shocking fall in productivity, rising debt, a… Read More

Compared to many major European economies, UK average wages are lower and this is before we take into account relatively higher housing costs and longer working hours for British workers. &n… Read More

In May 2010, the Conservative coalition entered government against a backdrop of the great financial crisis, which had sent the pound tumbling, a deep recession and record government deficit… Read More

Following the invasion of Ukraine in March 2022, the Western powers introduced unprecedented levels of sanctions, freezing $300bn of Russian assets, the Ruble collapsed, inflation rose, and… Read More

In the past 15 years, there is a general sense that many public services have been deteriorating. This isn’t just pessimism but backed up by longer waiting lists, crumbling infrastruct… Read More

By 2007, New Labour had presided over the longest period of economic growth in the post-war period. It was the goldilocks economy with low inflation, low unemployment and an impressive rise… Read More

In the Victorian age, the UK led the world in building railways, it was an invention that changed the world. But, by the 1980s, the state owned British Railways was the butt of jokes, stale… Read More

Under Quantitative Easing, the Central Bank created large quantity of bank reserves and bought bonds. Commercial bnks saw an increase in bank reserves. Initially, this made it cheaper for… Read More

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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… Read More

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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