China: Population Decline = Growth Headwind

22 January 2023 In addition, China's shrinking population will continue to shape both the nation's long-term economic strategy, and the government's short-term policy focus. In particular, with inflation low, monetary and fiscal policy will need to remain stimulative. However, government spending priorities will need to be altered dramatically. This shift will not only support China's [...]

Fed to Tighten Till Markets Pushback

18 January 2022 In December, the US Federal Reserve abandoned its belief that rising inflation was "transitory", and signaled that monetary tightening may commence earlier that expected. In their defense, the extreme imbalances in aggregate supply and demand in both labour and goods markets (e.g. supply chain disruptions) during the 2020/21 economic recovery have complicated [...]

Biden’s Climate Plan: Yes We Can, We Must!

8 April 2021 In the climate model I unveiled last year, I rated 90 countries' vulnerability to climate change. The United States ranked a disappointing #20 (my blog "Climate Change: Who's Preparing, Who's Not" can found be on my website). President Biden intends to change that. Indeed, spending to mitigate the impact of rising global [...]

Global Fiscal Policy: Keep the Pedal to the Metal

16 March 2021 In the past week, the Biden Adminstration passed its historic American Rescue Plan (ARP) and UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak unveiled his budgetary program for the coming years. The message from both is clear, the immediate priority is to provide Covid-related relief to household and businesses. Concerns about rising public sector debt would [...]