How macro-economic data helps Government and Central Bank weaken wealth formation
byIt is common for commentators and economists in their discussions to continuously refer to something called the “economy” – which sometimes performs well and…
Why free trade is officially dead
byG20 Finance ministers meeting in Baden Baden last weekend agreed, on America’s insistence, to drop the long-standing commitment to free trade from the final…
Rules-based, automatically-adjusting trade policy for freer trade
byA major contemporary worry is that threats of tariffs, preservation of subsidies and licensing and standards restrictions for imports and exports will derail any…
Jeffrey P. Snider: Further Unanchoring Is Not Strictly About Inflation
byAccording to Alan Greenspan in a speech delivered at Stanford University in September 1997, monetary policy in the United States had been shed of…
Penny wise and pound foolish ?
by“Sir, “Most of the commentary in the UK press since the announcement of the “merger” of Standard Life with Aberdeen has focused on job…
The National Debt Limit Equals a Balanced Budget
byOnce again the United States government is rapidly approaching a fiscal debt ceiling: After March 16, 2017, Uncle Sam will not be legally allowed…
Land-use restrictions, agricultural subsidies and free trade
byOne of the greatest barriers to free trade is agricultural subsidies since they are politically venomous to remove due to the perception that their…
Sugar, Honey, Honey – the weighty problem of obesity and substitution
bySugar, Honey, Honey – the weighty problem of obesity and substitution The solution to obesity is to reduce calorie intake A tax on sugary…
The fateful date
byCaesar: What sayest thou to me now? Speak once again. Soothsayer: Beware the ides of March. Caesar: He is a dreamer; let us leave…
Balance of payments and the exchange rate: is there a connection?
byAccording to conventional analysis, a key factor in exchange rate determination is the state of the balance of payments. It is held that as…