Category: US economy

How should the UK respond to Trump’s tariff threats over Greenland?

President Trump has surely hit a new low with his threats to impose tariffs on European allies for daring to challenge his ambition to “acquire” Greenland. But the UK should not overreact and especially should not retaliate, whether with tariffs of our own or with other economic and financial sanctions. For a start, Trump’s latest … Continue reading How should the UK respond to Trump’s tariff threats over Greenland? →

What the NBER got wrong on the ‘Economic Impact of Brexit’

I’ve finally found time to review the NBER Working Paper which claims that Brexit has reduced UK GDP by as much as 8% since the vote to leave in 2016. As Martin Wolf writes in today’s Financial Times, “if this is even roughly correct, Brexit has been nothing short of an economic disaster”. But I think … Continue reading What the NBER got wrong on the ‘Economic Impact of Brexit’ →

The case for a late Budget

The Chancellor has confirmed that the date of the Autumn Budget will be Wednesday 26 November. This is relatively late, raising fears that a longer period of speculation and uncertainty will undermine confidence even further, but there are always trade-offs. I can think of five reasons why waiting might make sense. First, and perhaps most … Continue reading The case for a late Budget →