- 2 years ago
- Introduction Tariffs are taxes imposed on imports. Many students think that an increase in tariffs will lead to an increase in import expenditure if the demand for imports is price inelastic. This economic misconception will be explained in economics tuition in greater detail. Exposition A persistent balance of payments deficit may lead to problems such as high imported inflation, lower national output and hence national income, higher unemployment and rising public debt, depending on the exchange rate system. Therefore, in the face of a persistent balance of payments deficit, the government may increase tariffs to correct the deficit. If the government increases tariffs, the prices of imports will rise. When this happens, households and firms will switch from imports to domestic goods which will lead to a decrease in import expenditure resulting in an improvement in the current account and hence the balance of payments. Many students think that if the demand for imports is price inelastic, an increase in the price will lead to a smaller proportionate decrease in the quantity demanded. If this happens, import expenditure will rise which will worsen the current account an[...]
Category archives: Latest Articles
- 3 years ago
- The exchange rate of a currency is the rate at which the currency can be exchanged for another currency. It is also defined as the price of the currency in terms of another currency. This is known as the nominal exchange rate. For instance, the nominal exchange rate of the Singapore dollar against the Malaysian ringgit is about RM2.50/S$ which means that 2.5 Malaysian ringgits are required to exchange for or purchase 1 Singapore dollar. It is important to note that the exchange rate of a currency is expressed as the amount of foreign currency that is required to purchase one unit of the currency. Unlike the nominal exchange rate of a currency which refers to the amount of foreign currency that is required to exchange for or purchase one unit of the currency, the real exchange rate of a currency refers to the amount of foreign goods and services that is required to exchange for or purchase one unit of domestic goods and services. Mathematically, it can be expressed as N[...]
- 3 years ago
- The answer is not necessarily. The Marshall-Lerner condition states that for a devaluation of domestic currency to improve the balance of payments, the sum of the price elasticities of demand for exports and imports must be greater than one. A fall in the exchange rate will increase the price of imports in domestic currency which will lead to a decrease in the quantity demanded. If the demand for imports is price elastic, which means that the increase in the price will lead to a larger proportionate decrease in the quantity demanded, import expenditure will fall which will improve the balance of trade. If the demand for imports is price inelastic, which means that the increase in the price will lead to a smaller proportionate decrease in the quantity demanded, import expenditure will rise. However, this may not worsen the balance of trade as export revenue will also rise. A fall in the exchange rate will decrease the price of exports in foreign currency which will lead to an increase in the quantity demanded. As the price of exports in domestic currency will not be affected by a fall in the exchange rate, an increase in the quantity demanded will lead to an increase in export reven[...]
- 3 years ago
- The reason is that many students do not fully understand the difference between current prices and base-year prices in the balance of payments and aggregate demand. The Marshall-Lerner condition states that for a devaluation of domestic currency to improve the balance of payments, the sum of the price elasticities of demand for exports and imports must be greater than one. A fall in the exchange rate will increase the price of imports in domestic currency which will lead to a decrease in the quantity demanded. If the demand for imports is price elastic, which means that the increase in the price will lead to a larger proportionate decrease in the quantity demanded, import expenditure will fall which will improve the balance of trade. If the demand for imports is price inelastic, which means that the increase in the price will lead to a smaller proportionate decrease in the quantity demanded, import expenditure will rise. However, this may not worsen the balance of trade as export revenue will also rise. A fall in the exchange rate will decrease the price of exports in foreign currency which will lead to an increase in the quantity demanded. As the price of exports in domestic cur[...]
- 3 years ago
- Fact 1 The US dollar has been depreciating against the major currencies in the world over the last few decades. This is mainly due to the rising imports in the US and hence the increasing supply of US dollars in the forex market. Fact 2 Australia is well endowed with natural resources such as minerals, metals and fuels. Therefore, the exchange rate of the Australian dollar depends to a large extent on the exports of these resources. Note: The two facts above will be explained in greater detail in economics tuition. Prediction Suppose you predict that the world economy will move into a recession soon. Question How can you make use of these facts and prediction to increase your wealth? Answer Well, you can convert your savings in Singapore dollars to US dollars. If the US economy moves into a recession, the imports will fall which will lead to a decrease in the demand for foreign currencies. When this happens, the supply of US dollars will fall which will lead to a rise in the exchange rate. These will lead to an increase in your wealth (which will be in US dollars) in terms of Singapore dollars. The story does not end here. If the US economy moves into a recession, so will the w[...]
- 3 years ago
- Public goods will not be produced in the absence of government intervention. Public goods are goods that are non-excludable and non-rivalrous. A good is non-excludable when it is impossible or prohibitively costly to prevent non-payers from consuming the good once it has been produced. A good is non-rivalrous when the consumption of the good by a consumer will not reduce the amount available to other consumers. Examples of public goods include national defence and street lighting. As public goods are non-excludable, consumers can consume them without paying for them. Therefore, consumers will want to consume public goods without contributing to their production which is known as the free-rider problem. As consumers have no incentive to pay for public goods, private firms which are profit-oriented have no incentive to produce them. Therefore, in the absence of government intervention, public goods will not be produced due to the characteristic of non-excludability. Many students think that the characteristic of non-rivalry of public goods leads to non-provision in the absence of government intervention. Mr. Edmund Quek will discuss this economic misconception in econo[...]
- 3 years ago
- Introduction A budget deficit occurs when government expenditure exceeds government revenue. Public debt refers to the amount of money that the government owes. It is also known as national debt, sovereign debt and government debt. Many students think that a decrease in budget deficit will lead to a fall in public debt. There will be a discussion on this economic misconception in economics tuition at Economics Cafe. Exposition When the government runs a budget deficit, it will borrow by issuing securities (i.e. bonds and bills) to finance the deficit, assuming it does not have sufficient reserves. When this happens, the public debt will rise. A decrease in budget deficit may occur due to a decrease in government expenditure, an increase in government revenue, or both. Many students think that a decrease in budget deficit will lead to a fall in public debt. This is erroneous. When the budget deficit falls, the public debt will not fall. Rather, a decrease in budget deficit will lead to a slower rise in the public debt. This is because when the government runs a smaller budget deficit, what it means basically is that it will borrow a smaller amount of money to finance[...]
- 10 years ago
- Oil prices are currently around US$35. It is virtually public knowledge that the slide in oil prices from US$115 in June 2014 to the current level is due to a combination of events, namely the increase in shale oil production in the United States and the increase in crude oil production in OPEC, particularly in Saudi Arabia. Accordingly, oil prices will rise when shale oil production in the United States or crude oil production in OPEC decrease. However, both scenarios are unlikely, at least in 2016. Some people have been wondering why OPEC, particularly Saudi Arabia, has persistently refused to reduce crude oil production to increase oil prices which will lead to an increase in government revenue and export revenue due to the price inelastic nature of the demand for oil. It is true that a cut in crude oil production in OPEC will reduce the world supply of oil, as OPEC accounts for about 40 percent of the world supply of oil, resulting in a rise in oil prices. However, doing so will increase the profitability of shale oil production in the United States which will induce the U.S shale oil producers to increase production. This will lead to an increase in the world supply of oil res[...]
- 13 years ago
- Introduction The Swiss-based International Institute for Management Development (IMD) ranked Singapore as the second most competitive small economy (population under 20 million) out of 29 economies in 2003. The ranking system was based on four criteria: government efficiency, business efficiency, infrastructure and economic performance. What does this result mean for Singapore? Does it mean that Singapore can now rest on its laurels? There is no denying that Singapore has had a lot of achievements over the past 40 years since independence in 1965. However, will Singapore’s neighbours take long to catch up? Will its hope of becoming the regional hub be extinguished by another Asian country such as Hong Kong, Taiwan or Malaysia? Some people believe that Singapore has come to its second crossroads since 1965. The Asian Financial Crisis, September 11, Bali blast and the Iraq war have changed the competitive landscape for international trade and investment. To thrive, Singapore must abandon the strategy of gaining incremental improvements. They need to make major, fundamental changes in strategies as well as mindsets. Singapore has been in constant transition and transformation. Mayb[...]
- 14 years ago
- The following are a list of general articles covering a wide range of topics ranging from economics tuition to game theory. The articles are meant for leisure reading and are contributed by the Principal Economics Tutor and other renowned experts in the field of economics. General Articles on Economics Tuition Is Economics Tuition Necessary In Singapore? Why Is It Important To Take Economics Tuition From An Experienced Economics Tutor? What Should Students Expect From Economics Tuition? Why Would Taking Economics Tuition Free Up Time To Study Other Subjects? Can Economics Tuition Improve The Grade In The Examination? Is Government Regulation Necessary in The Tuition Industry In Singapore? What Can A Student Do Before And After Lesson To Maximise Economics Tuition? How Can Economics Tuition Help In Investment? How Can Economics Tuition Help Firms And Consumers Improve Decision Making? Economics Tuition Helps In Making The Right Investments To Hedge Against Inflation How Can Econs Tuition Help Policy Makers In The Government Formulate Better Policies? Are Good Economics Lecture Notes A Close Substitute For Good Economics Tuition? Do Students In Singapore Need Tuition To Excel In The[...]