Frankly, I would prefer to ignore the economic forecasts from the IMF, or other multinational organisations like the OECD, because they add little value. However, the latest numbers for the UK have been trumpeted as a big win for the government, and for the embattled Chancellor in particular, as part of what appears to be … Continue reading Are the IMF’s latest forecasts really “good news for Rachel Reeves”?
Tag: news
Is there hope for Britain’s economy in 2025?
In the memorable words of one official statistician, Britain’s economy was “going gangbusters” at the beginning of 2024. Unfortunately, last year appears to have ended with a whimper. The best hope now is that this pattern will be reversed in 2025, with a sluggish start giving way to a strong and sustained recovery. But the … Continue reading Is there hope for Britain’s economy in 2025?
What to make of soaring bond yields
The latest surge in gilt yields - which represents the cost of new borrowing by the UK government in the bond market - is yet another shock that the already fragile economy could do without. To be fair, this crisis is not entirely the making of Rachel Reeves and her October Budget. Bond yields have … Continue reading What to make of soaring bond yields
Is Brexit really costing the UK economy £100 billion a year?
One of the most dramatic claims made by those seeking to reverse Brexit is that leaving the EU is costing the UK economy ‘£100 billion every year’ in lost output, or about 4pc of GDP. Moreover, that would translate into about £40 billion in lost tax revenues, which happens to be roughly the same as … Continue reading Is Brexit really costing the UK economy £100 billion a year?
Plain-speaking Economics 