The first official estimates suggest that the UK economy grew by 0.7% in the first quarter of the year, which was better than most had expected. GDP per head increased by a respectable 0.5%. On the bright side, this should trigger a wave of upward revisions to growth forecasts for 2025 as a whole. (I … Continue reading UK Q1 GDP: as good as it gets?
Tag: economics
President Trump is gradually undermining confidence in the dollar, one tirade at a time
Donald Trump’s latest tirade against the head of the US central bank is so obviously negative for the dollar that you have to wonder whether the President is deliberately trying to undermine the US currency. Remarkably, the answer may indeed be ‘yes’. On Monday, Trump used his social media platform to call Federal Reserve Chair … Continue reading President Trump is gradually undermining confidence in the dollar, one tirade at a time
Is the UK economy really bouncing back?
The news that the UK economy grew by 0.5% in February, lifting the three-month growth rate to 0.6%, is obviously welcome. But these ONS figures should come plastered with health warnings. For a start, monthly GDP data are notoriously volatile, and often revised. A sharp correction is possible in March and especially in April, when … Continue reading Is the UK economy really bouncing back?
Tumbling energy prices will provide just a little relief from a tariff war
President Trump’s tariff war has already had a large number of consequences – intended or otherwise – for the global economy. But the slump in energy prices is at least one result that we can welcome. On Monday the price of a barrel of Brent fell to US$64, down about 16pc from the average of … Continue reading Tumbling energy prices will provide just a little relief from a tariff war
Plain-speaking Economics 