Economics

The enduring game of political ads in America

Published

2 months ago

September 7, 2024

As John Prideaux mentioned in last week’s edition of this newsletter, I had a few days off in Pennsylvania. And you know what that means: I got to watch a ton of political ads. If you live anywhere but a swing state, you’re lucky to catch an occasional campaign ad on some cable news network. But if, like me, you sit in a hotel room in Pittsburgh when the local newscasts are on and flip from station to station to catch the ad breaks, you can watch such advertising pretty much continuously, at least until your wife’s patience runs out. The two main presidential campaigns and the political action committees that support them have already spent more in Pennsylvania—$350m as of September 1st—than they did during the entire campaign of 2020, when Pennsylvania was also up for grabs, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported while I was in town.

Economics

What would Robert F. Kennedy junior mean for American health?

Published

5 hours ago

November 15, 2024

Business Finance News

AS IN MOST marriages of convenience, Donald Trump and Robert F. Kennedy junior make unusual bedfellows. One enjoys junk food, hates exercise and loves oil. The other talks of clean food, getting America moving again and wants to eliminate oils of all sorts (from seed oil to Mr Trump’s beloved “liquid gold”). One has called the covid-19 vaccine a “miracle”, the other is a long-term vaccine sceptic. Yet on November 14th Mr Trump announced that Mr Kennedy was his pick for secretary of health and human services (HHS).

Economics

What would Robert Kennedy junior mean for American health?

Published

10 hours ago

November 15, 2024

Business Finance News

Economics

UK economy ekes out 0.1% growth, below expectations

Published

11 hours ago

November 15, 2024

Business Finance News

Bank of England in the City of London on 6th November 2024 in London, United Kingdom. The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the primary central business district CBD of London. The City of London is widely referred to simply as the City is also colloquially known as the Square Mile. (photo by Mike Kemp/In Pictures via Getty Images)

Mike Kemp | In Pictures | Getty Images

The U.K. economy expanded by 0.1% in the third quarter of the year, the Office for National Statistics said Friday.

That was below the expectations of economists polled by Reuters who forecast 0.2% gross domestic product growth on the previous three months of the year.

It comes after inflation in the U.K. fell sharply to 1.7% in September, dipping below the Bank of England’s 2% target for the first time since April 2021. The fall in inflation helped pave the way for the central bank to cut rates by 25 basis points on Nov. 7, bringing its key rate to 4.75%.

The Bank of England said last week it expects the Labour Government’s tax-raising budget to boost GDP by 0.75 percentage points in a year’s time. Policymakers also noted that the government’s fiscal plan had led to an increase in their inflation forecasts.

The outcome of the recent U.S. election has fostered much uncertainty about the global economic impact of another term from President-elect Donald Trump. While Trump’s proposed tariffs are expected to be widely inflationary and hit the European economy hard, some analysts have said such measures could provide opportunities for the British economy.

Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey gave little away last week on the bank’s views of Trump’s tariff agenda, but he did reference risks around global fragmentation.

“Let’s wait and see where things get to. I’m not going to prejudge what might happen, what might not happen,” he told reporters during a press briefing.

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