Economist, Visiting Professor, Lecturer, Writer, Public Speaker.
Rachel Reeves’s budget statement in response to the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) update aligned with what was widely flagged ahead of the event. However, it highlighted just how little room there is for manoeuvre in the government’s fiscal projections and how vulnerable the plans are to unfolding events. Admittedly, huge geopolitical and geoeconomic changes …
Continue reading “UK Spring statement 2025: little room for manoeuvre”
Economists generally agree on few economic theories, but the negative impact of tariffs is one of them. The theory advocating for free trade without tariffs or barriers between countries was first articulated by Adam Smith in 1776 in “The Wealth of Nations,” showing that even if a country has an absolute advantage in producing goods, …
Following a sharp rise in inflation precipitated initially by the supply-side disruption as the pandemic ended and supply lagged demand, then the Russian invasion of Ukraine, central banks are tightening policy. The US Federal Reserve is at the forefront of this charge, raising interest rates at the fastest pace since the 1980s. There is no …