The money supply measures the total amount of money in the economy at a particular time. It includes actual notes and coins and also any deposits which can be quickly converted into cash. There are different measures of the money supply depending on how you count it. Narrow definitions include all the money supply which …
In the past two decades, we have had a remarkable period of low inflation. Inflation has been so low, some economists have suggested a new paradigm – the end of inflation as a primary economic concern. Since 2009, any predictions of imminent inflation have proved to be wide of the mark. There have been warnings …
Readers Question: I’d like to ask you about routine ways (apart from so called “printing new money”) by which the total volume of money in the economy grows. The money supply measures the stock of money in the economy. A narrow definition of money (M0) includes the stock of notes/coins and operational deposits at Bank …
Between 2009 and 2015, the Bank of England has been authorized to create £375bn of assets by the creation of central bank reserves. This new money was used to purchase government gilts. The theory is that by creating extra money and buying gilts from financial institutions, there would be an increase in the money supply …
Definition of a liquidity trap: When monetary policy becomes ineffective because, despite zero/very low-interest rates, people want to hold cash rather than spend or buy illiquid assets. A liquidity trap is characterised by Very low-interest rates Low inflation Slow/negative economic growth Preference for saving rather than spending and investment Monetary policy becomes ineffective in boosting …
When reading economic articles in the past few years, you may frequently come across the reference to the ‘zero lower bound’ or ZLB. What is the Zero Lower Bound rate? In short – when interest rates can’t fall any further below 0% Examples of ZLB UK interest rates were cut to 0.5% in March 2009 …
The Money Multiplier refers to how an initial deposit can lead to a bigger final increase in the total money supply. For example, if the commercial banks gain deposits of £1 million and this leads to a final money supply of £10 million. The money multiplier is 10. The money multiplier is a key element …
Readers question: What is the difference between tax and inflation? Tax is a way for the government to raise revenue. It includes charges placed by the government on goods/income. For example, VAT is a tax which means consumers have to pay an additional 20% of the price in the form of tax which goes to …