Profit Margins - Are supermarkets taking advantage of drivers?
Petrol prices are often faster to rise when market conditions change than they are to drop when cost pressures are easing. Are the supermarkets using this moment to increase their profit margins on...
Middle Income Trap - Five reasons why China's economy is in trouble
The latest Communist Party meeting is prompting a lot of navel gazing by Sinophiles who think that the economy is struggling to break free of the middle income trap.
Markets in action - marvel as the invisible hand has prompted farmers in Western Kenya have switched from maize to avocado production, in response to rising levels of demand for the fruit - yes,...
Business Costs and Profits - Economies of Scale at Tesla
In this short we look at examples of economies of scale exploited by Tesla Motors. It is a business almost obsessed with reaping economies of scale and efficiency gains as their production grows.
Credit Squeeze - Mortgage Rates Rise as Lenders Return
Mortgage interest rates have gone up - with the average two-year fixed rate mortgage close to 6%, as mortgage lenders have significantly increased interest rates.
UK Economy - Real Incomes Falling - Recession Risk Grows
Real disposable incomes in the UK have now fallen for four successive quarters and as a result, the risk of a consumer-led recession is rising.
Horizontal Integration - Vodafone and Three in Merger Talks
It seems as though there might be big merger activity afoot, with Vodafone and Three looking like merging - and in doing so, going from the 3rd and 4th largest UK mobile networks to the largest.
UK Economy - What has been happening to labour migration?
Labour migration is a really important topic because changes in the net flow of people into and out of a country's labour market can have both demand and supply-side effects. Nearly two years since...
This video short looks at September 2022 data to see which of the major countries has the highest yields on 10-year government bonds.
UK Economy - Will Household Saving Collapse?
In tough economic times, people often aim to save more when there is uncertainty and confidence is low. But the surging cost of living and rising mortgage bills threatens to cause a significant...
Economics Weekly Quiz | 30 September 2022
Here's our weekly economics news quiz. The 'fallout' from Kwasi Kwarteng's mini-budget still dominates!
Short News Videos on the UK Economic Crisis
Trying to make sense of these turbulent times for the UK economy is a tough job! I've put together a collection of short video analysis that might be useful as bridges for discussion in the...
Regional Economics - Turmoil engulfs Britishvolt’s £3.8bn battery factory
This story could be ether micro or macroeconomic, but it seems that the future for the much vaunted electric car battery factory, Britishvolt, is not as rosy as the artist's impression associated...
BoE acts to prevent a pension fund collapse
How close did we come today to witnessing the collapse of numerous pension funds – especially those managing fund providing final salary pension schemes for savers?
IMF issues a critique of UK fiscal policy
The IMF has issued unprecedented criticism of the UK government's policy of tax cuts, arguing that they run contrary to the aim of bringing inflation down and far from stoking growth are going to...
Currency Gaps - Dollar shortage hobbles Egypt's economy
Many teachers cover currency gaps as part of their courses in development economics. Here is a terrific applied example to use. A shortage of dollars in Egypt, used for paying for some goods and...
UK Bond Yields Climb above Italy and Greece
This is big news! Bond yields have gone up after Friday's mini-Budget to the extent that it is currently costing the UK government more to borrow than the government's of Italy and Greece. Just let...
China slowing - is the centre of economic gravity shifting again?
Is the centre of gravity shifting in the world economy? Revised forecasts from the World Bank reported in the Guardian suggest that China, the world’s second-largest economy, is projected to grow...
Globalisation - Apple shifts iPhone production from China to India
Something for Economics and Business students alike: Apple is planning to make its new iPhone 14 handsets in India, as it looks to diversify away from China.
The Race for Clean Energy - A Case of Derived Demand and Inelastic Supply
This FT clip looks at the prospects for net zero carbon, initially by highlighting the need to adopt renewable energy and electric cars.