Here are the slides from a presentation I gave today to sixth form students at a school in Reading. It features a discussion of the pros and (mostly) cons of the new US tariffs policy and concludes with a recommended book and a film for budding economists! What to make of Trump's tariffs (9 May … Continue reading What to make of Trump’s tariffs?
Category: Fiscal Policy
The Government should hold the line on public sector pay
The independent pay review bodies are reportedly set to recommend pay increases of around 3pc for NHS staff and 4pc for teachers. However, the Government has only budgeted for a 2.8pc increase for public sector workers. This is broadly in line with expected price rises over the coming year, but still higher than the Bank … Continue reading The Government should hold the line on public sector pay
Trump wins! / backs down! (pick your own headline)
This is the first time I have ever had to post twice in one day on the same topic, but here goes... President Trump has just raised tariffs on China to 125%. However, he has also announced a 90-day pause on the 'reciprocal tariffs' for those countries that have not yet retaliated. On balance this … Continue reading Trump wins! / backs down! (pick your own headline)
Thirteen questions and twelve answers on Trump’s tariff war
By popular demand, here is a bitesize Q&A on tariffs. In short, there are no winners from a trade war, but it is not too late to avoid a global recession. For now, ‘wait and see’ may be the best strategy both for central bankers and investors. 1. Do the new ‘reciprocal tariffs’ make any … Continue reading Thirteen questions and twelve answers on Trump’s tariff war
Plain-speaking Economics 