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
Tag: energy bills
Businesses must not be given a blank cheque for energy bills
Many businesses are rightly worried about the soaring cost of energy and the likely delay before they will be able to access the rescue package being put together by the government. Unfortunately, there are good reasons why they will have to be patient. The new ‘Energy Price Guarantee’ will cap the unit price of energy … Continue reading Businesses must not be given a blank cheque for energy bills
Would more tax cuts be inflationary?
One of the central arguments of Rishi Sunak’s campaign to become the next Prime Minister is that it would be irresponsible to cut taxes further until inflation is under control. Of course, there are risks here, but my view is that they are worth taking. For a start, it is not clear that tax cuts … Continue reading Would more tax cuts be inflationary?
Weak consumer confidence doesn’t necessarily signal recession
If you believe the media coverage of the latest consumer confidence surveys, household spending is set to collapse under the weight of the cost of living crisis, dragging the UK economy into a deep recession. But how reliable are these signals? As always, it is worth digging past the headlines. The GfK measure of consumer … Continue reading Weak consumer confidence doesn’t necessarily signal recession
Plain-speaking Economics 