The IMF’s latest World Economic Outlook has received more attention than usual, thanks to some eye-catching work on the long-term trend in interest rates. This has prompted headlines ranging from “Ultra-low interest rates will return in Britain, IMF says” in the Telegraph, to “New IMF prediction is good news for homeowners” in the Mirror. So … Continue reading What the IMF is really saying about interest rates
Author: julianhjessop
The OECD’s minimum tax plan is dangerous showboating
On Wednesday, Liz Truss will use the Margaret Thatcher memorial lecture in Washington to call the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) a “global cartel of complacency” whose high tax policies are holding back growth. I fear she is right. In particular, Ms Truss will warn against the OECD’s plan for a minimum 15 … Continue reading The OECD’s minimum tax plan is dangerous showboating
No, our inflation problem is not due to Brexit
It is so much simpler to interpret the UK economy if you attribute every single problem to Brexit. But it is also wrong. Last week, for example, the EU statistics agency Eurostat released preliminary data suggesting that consumer price inflation in the euro area fell from 8.5pc in February to ‘just’ 6.9pc in March, including a … Continue reading No, our inflation problem is not due to Brexit
End of free money brings the chickens home to roost
The shocks that occasionally batter the UK economy seem to be coming thicker and faster. The Global Financial Crisis (GFC) blew up in 2008. The Brexit vote followed eight year later. But we then only had to wait four years for Covid, and just two more for the cost-of-living crisis. At this rate we are … Continue reading End of free money brings the chickens home to roost
Plain-speaking Economics 