Readers Question: supposing a government printed more money but only used it to finance the cost of imported goods, what then would be the effect on the domestic economy? supposing the price of these imported goods was the same as before the extra money was printed, there is just a larger quantity of them now. …
My students are generally pretty un-inventive when it comes to excuses for not doing homework. Popular excuses include: “I was doing business studies / geography / history coursework” “I had football practice” “I couldn’t be bothered” “I forgot” “You mean, I was given homework?” I have heard a few good ones though I was driving …
Why is monetary policy easier to conduct than fiscal policy in a highly divided national political environment? Monetary policy is usually implemented by independent monetary authorities. For example, in UK, monetary policy is implemented by the Monetary Policy Committee of the Bank of England. Therefore, they can take politically unpopular decisions such as increasing interest …
Readers Question: What is the relationship/theory between the OCR (Official Cash Rate) and Inflation? The Official Cash Rate is the interest rate the New Zealand Reserve Bank use to control inflation. It is very similar to the base rate used by the MPC, Bank of England. Graph Interest Rates New Zealand Because New Zealand commercial …
Readers Question: What is meant by the term inflationary noise? Definition of Inflationary noise. When inflation distorts price signals. If inflation is 0%, and Peugeot cars increase in price then this is a signal Peugeot are more expensive. However, if inflation is 5 or 6%, it is harder to work out whether the increased price …
Readers Question: Could deflation lead to devaluation of the UK Pound? Deflation in the UK means prices fall. This hasn’t happened since the 1930s, but, if it did happen, it could lead to a further depreciation in Pound Sterling. Firstly, deflation would mean interest rates would likely fall to 0%. This fall in interest rates …
Readers Question: how does risk create an economic burden? Generally, people are risk-averse. For example, you may have a 0.1% chance of your house burning down. But, if it did burn down, the effects would be disastrous. Therefore, most people are willing to pay a premium to insure their house against this very unlikely scenario. …
Readers Question: What are CDOs? How do they work? Could you please explain in detail as I am very confused. CDOs are effectively a type of bond, which is backed by loans, other bonds or assets. Banks used CDOs to reduce the amount of debt on their balance sheet. One way to think of them …