The latest slump in the prices of Bitcoin (and many of its peers) has put a serious dent in their credibility as a reliable means of payment, let alone as a store of value or a sound investment. But this is certainly not the end for digital currencies. If anything, the crash in the prices … Continue reading Forget Bitcoin’s latest collapse, digital currencies are still the future
Category: UK economy
Britain should welcome cheaper food from Australia, not tax it
Opposition to tariff-free access to UK markets for Australian farmers is protectionism, pure and simple. Minette Batters, president of the National Farmers Union (NFU), argues that removing tariffs would make it ‘all but impossible’ for British family farms ‘to compete with vast volumes of imports from the southern hemisphere produced in a very different manner’. … Continue reading Britain should welcome cheaper food from Australia, not tax it
Inflation risks are building – but does anybody care?
Many people have already written about how the ‘spectre of inflation’ has returned to haunt global investors. In reality, financial markets are still surprisingly relaxed about the risks, and most measures of inflation expectations have risen only slightly. This seems increasingly complacent. In part this reflects the persistently dovish messages from the world’s major central … Continue reading Inflation risks are building – but does anybody care?
It’s time to pause QE
Consumers, businesses, and investors are increasingly optimistic about the prospects for the UK economy, and independent forecasts are continually being revised up. Policymakers at the Treasury and Bank of England should now be reassessing their plans too. The consensus at the start of the year was that UK GDP would grow by around 4% in … Continue reading It’s time to pause QE
Plain-speaking Economics 