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Stats

Inflation falls across the board

posted to David Smith's EconomicsUK.com on Tue 21st May 13

Inflation has been remarkably steady at 2.7% or 2.8% in recent months so the drop in April to 2.4% was a surprise, and a very welcome one. Lower petrol prices and air fares contributed most to the fall, which reduced...
The governor's eyebrows point to an upturn

posted to David Smith's EconomicsUK.com on Sun 19th May 13

My regular column is available to subscribers on www.thesundaytimes.co.uk This is an excerpt. The CBI, the employers organisation, says Britains economy is moving from flat to growth. The Paris-based Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development says
King's last bow: a more upbeat forecast

posted to David Smith's EconomicsUK.com on Wed 15th May 13

Today was unusual in two respects. The first was that it was Sir Mervyn King's last inflation report press conference, after more than 80, ahead of his retirement next month. The second was that the Bank's new forecast is slightly...

Lessons from Sweden in assembling a recovery

posted to David Smith's EconomicsUK.com on Sun 5th Aug 12

My regular column is available to subscribers on www.thesundaytimes.co.uk This is an excerpt. Think today about two countries, both in Europe but not in the euro. They should, in theory, be facing very similar circumstances. But one country, having...
Meanwhile, in the real world

posted to David Smith's EconomicsUK.com on Tue 15th May 12

The argument that very low gilt yields mean the government should be borrowing a lot more to fund capital or other spending has been around for a while, though nobody knows how much more borrowing it would take to trigger...
Osborne can only disappoint on tax

posted to David Smith's EconomicsUK.com on Sun 4th Mar 12

My regular column is available to subscribers on www.thesundaytimes.co.uk This is an excerpt. This should be a good time for George Osborne. In the run-up to his March 21 budget fears of a double-dip have eased and consumer confidence...

Assorted links

posted to Marginal Revolution on Sun 12th Aug 12

1. The culture that is Japan there is no great stagnation.2. Tyler Cowen’s unusual final exam.3. Is labor productivity lower than we think?4. Why has Sweden had a good recovery?5. Facts and fictions of D.C.’s gentrification.
The Costs of Debt Finance: Jonathan versus David

posted to mainly macro on Mon 21st May 12

Recently David Smith of the Sunday Times and Jonathan Portes of the National Institutehad a blog-spat about what a debt financed public investment programme would actually cost. Jonathan suggestedthat
A case for cutting fuel duty?

posted to Stumbling and Mumbling on Sun 4th Mar 12

What, if any, should be the link between the price mechanism and fairness? Two issues raise this question.One is that Royal Mail is planning a scheme to protect the poor from its price rises. The other is FairFuel UKs campaign for a cut in fuel duty to offset