STEEPLE Economic factors Flashcards
What does STEEPLE stand for?
Social
Technological
Economic
Environmental
Politics
Legal
Ethics
What does GDP stand for?
Gross domestic product
What is GDP
The total value of output produced in an economy in a year?
What is economic growth?
The annual percentage change in GDP
What is a recession?
Two consecutive quarters of negative growth.
What can the government do to facilitate economic growth?
Encourage investment in physical capital by offering subsidies or lowering taxation
Improve infrastructure through better transport links - invest in roads ect to inc speed raw materials are delivered
Improve quality of human capita, by investing in education
What happens if GDP goes down?
It means the economy is shrinking/ contracting
What happens if GDP rises?
The economy is expanding
What does GDP include?
The value of:
Cars
Housing
Healthcare
Loans
Mortgages ect
What is the impact or GDP reducing?
Decrease in jobs
Falling house prices
What happens if GDP rises?
Increase in jobs available
Positive multiplier effect
What does GDP not measure?
The well-being of an individual- if GDP increases workers may feel more stress and tiredness
What is inflation?
The persistent general tendency of prices in the economy to rise
How is inflation measured?
Using the consumer price index
What is the consumer price index?
A measure that examines the weighted average of prices of a basket of consumer goods or services
What is disinflation?
Inflation but at a slower rate
Eg 2016= 4.2% 2017= 4.1%
What causes inflation?
Cost of production eg raw materials (cost push)
If a product is in short supply or high demand (demand pull)
Rising wages (cost push)
What are the two types of causes to inflation?
Cost push - substantial increases in cost of important goods or services where no alternative available.
Demand pull - where demand in an eco by if greater than supply.
What are the impacts of high inflation?
Makes UK markets uncompetitive - If inflation in the UK is high buyers will look elsewhere where inflation is less and prices are therefore lower.
High inflation can reduce multinational investment - when competitors are looking to produce in different countries they will look for the ones with lower inflation rates.
High inflation creates uncertainty around profits - the value of your profit may be less certain with high inflation so what you started with will be worth less in the future.
What does disinflation mean?
Inflation but at a slower rate
What are exchange rates?
The value of once current in terms of another
What is a strengthening exchange rate?
If the pound increases in value it is said to strengthen. This means the pound will buy more of a foreign currency
What is a weakening pound?
If the pound decreases in value it’s said to weaken. This means the pound will buy less of a foreign currency.
SPICED
Strong
Pound
Imports
Cheap
Exports
Dear
What’s an import?
Money leaving the economy when something is bought buy a UK consumer
What is an export?
A sale in the UK meaning money is entering the UK
How to calculate exchange rates?
Pound to different currency = multiply
Different currency to pound = divide
Who sets the exchange rate?
The forces of demand and supply establish exchange rates
What causes demand for pounds?
1) foreign investment in the UK - foreign businesses building factories in the UK will have to use its currency to demand pounds.
2) hot money flows into the UK - money that flows from country to country for the highest interest rates, has to be put into UK banks in pounds so must be exchanged
- banks deposit so gain surplus.
3) desire of foreign customers to buy UK exports - foreign businesses buying UK exports have to exchange their currency to pounds.
What are interest rates?
The cost of borrowing and the reward for saving.
Who sets interest rates?
The Bank of England
What are the impact of low interest rates on businesses, borrowers and savers?
Businesses: more likely to take out loans so invest, inc sales so inc demand, more likely to expand.
Borrowers: lower re-payments so more money to spend, greater demand across economy
Savers: less reward on saving so likely to spend money, less incentive to save
What’s the impact on high interest rates on businesses, borrowers and savers?
Businesses: loans more expensive, less sales and less demand, less likely to expand
Borrowers: greater repayments so less spending, less borrowing
Savers: higher incentive to save as greater rewards, spend less
What happens to exchange rates if interest rates are high?
The pound will be strong bevause the sterling is in high demand due to increased hot money.