Author Archives: Paula VanLaningham

Long-Term Bond Yields and Credit Ratings

It’s been another tricky week for those in sovereign credit markets. On Tuesday, independent debt-rating agency Standard & Poor’s (S&P) downgraded the credit ratings for Portugal and Greece. Greece’s debt rating fell by two notches to BB- and Portugal’s by … Continue reading

Posted in Debt, Economics, EU, Euro area, Germany, UK | Leave a comment

The Public Sector Debt Legacy

Mr. Osbourne vowed that the Government would “put fuel in the tank of the British economy” in last week’s Budget announcement and duly earned the headlines, but public finances continue to be the biggest contributor to overall government debt.  The … Continue reading

Posted in Debt, Economics, Public Sector, UK | Leave a comment

TPI – the lost measure of inflation

This by-line reproduces a chart that appeared alongside the write up of inflation in today’s print version of City A.M.. It compares measures of monthly inflation in the UK between 1989 and the latest figures for February, published yesterday. Tweet

Posted in Economics, Inflation, UK | 3 Comments

Life expectancy – how it fluctuates in a generation

Life expectancy at birth is, for good reason, an oft-cited statistic used to measure and compare the quality-of-life differences between countries. First of all, the expectation of a longer life is considered to be a good thing, and increasing it … Continue reading

Posted in Demographics, OECD, Well-being | Leave a comment

US PPI – February figures on Wednesday

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) releases its monthly survey of the Producer Price Index (PPI) on Wednesday. The PPI – which used to be known as “the Wholesaler’s Price Index” – measures the average prices domestic producers receive … Continue reading

Posted in Economics, Inflation, Manufacturing, USA | Leave a comment