Week 1 Flashcards
Claim: It is possible to describe the economy without including a policymaker’s behaviour.
TRUE
Nominal rigidities include:
- price rigidities
- wage rigidities
- in a more complex model, financial rigidities
- all of the above
- none of the above
all of the above
The Phillips Curve shows the relationship between:
- the interest rate and investment
- the price of electricity and economic output
- inflation expectations, inflation and potential output
- none of the above
none of the above
The Phillips curve represents the relationship between the rate of inflation and the unemployment rate
What does the WS curve represent?
1.The supply of labour at a given wage
2.How much wage needs to be paid to induce adequate effort
3.The number of people that are in the labour force
4.How big the supply of goods is in the economy at a certain price level
How much wage needs to be paid to induce adequate effort
Studying a 3 equation model helps us to:
- get a good grade in the second period of the program
- get a sense of how to interpret news through an analytical framework
- help us forecast movements in interest rate, which drives financial forecasts and prices
- All of the above
All of the above
Present value calculations:
- are the basis for stock valuation
- have nothing to do with expectations
- are normally used in financial context
- none of the above
- all of the above
all of the above
“In the IS curve, Savings are irrelevant”
FALSE
An example of a demand shock is:
- Brexit (UK leaving the European market)
- global warming dries agricultural land into no produce
- the invention of a material resilient enough for nuclear fusion makes energy super cheap
- none of the above
Brexit (UK leaving the European market)
Tobin’s q:
1. has nothing to do with finance
- is a useful rule to measure investment
- measures GDP as a function of
stock prices - none of the above
is a useful rule to measure investment
an example of a supply shock is:
1.the arab spring and its impact on oil prices
2.the new i-phone
3.Brexit (UK leaving the European market)
4.none of the above
the arab spring and its impact on oil prices
1.1 What is the IS curve? Why does it slope downwards? give example
The IS curve refers to planned investment and savings decisions representing the demand side.
It shows the combinations of the interest rate and output at which aggregate spending in the economy is equal to output.
This is a downward-sloping relationship because of the inverse relationship of interest rate with Aggregate Demand (output) throught investment (hence consumption via income).
E.g. if a firm increases spending on equipment, production increases which leads to higher employment. The higher employment leads to more wages, increasing consumption and thus increasing output in these sectors. Thus, employment and output have increased until the point that I and S equal each other again.
An increase in interest rates … the cost of financing and creates an incentive to save, therefore … spending.
increases
decreasing
Claim: Aggregate demand does not include second-hand products
True
What may lead the GDP to differ between the value added method, expenditure method and the income method?
GDP under all three methods should be equal, however they may differ due to
1.measurement error
2.black markets
3.tax evasion.
The great moderation is…
… the calmer macroeconomic conditions from the 1980s with fewer and shorter recessions and lower GDP volatility.
Claim: Consumption includes only durable (laptop, car) goods.
FALSE
Consumption includes both durable (laptop, car) and non-durable goods (theatre show, groceries)
Claim: Consumption is independent of interest rates
TRUE
What is Forward looking behaviour?
Forward looking behaviour means that consumption and investment spending decisions are influenced by expectations of the future.
Households adjust their current spending based on their expected income.
E.g. low income now, but higher income expected with a new job. He will borrow now and consume more, and pay back when they start the job. This is called consumption soothing.
Firms make decisions based on a business plan which includes forecasts about future demand.
E.g. it might build a factory in China if a rise in Chinese income is expected (hence, increasing consumption there).
A rise in the marginal propensity to consume, c1, or a fall in the tax rate, t, will …. the multiplier.
increase
What will happen to the IS curve in response to a crash in the stock market?
This should decrease fixed investment since it signals a fall in the value of companies relative to their replacement cost.
The IS curve is expected to shift to the left.
What will happen to the IS curve in response to a decrease in the rate of depreciation?
(Tobin’s marginal q) A decrease in the rate of depreciation will boost investment and thus shift the IS curve to the right.
What will happen to the IS curve in response to an increase in the rate of technological progress?
(According to Tobin’s marginal q) An increase in the rate of technological progress should boost the marginal product of capital thus investment and, in turn, shift the IS to the right.
What will happen to the IS curve in response to an increase in the cost of oil?
Assuming the economy is a net oil importer, then the higher cost of oil will depress expected future profits of firms, thus reducing Tobin’s Q and shifting the IS curve to the left.
What is the permanent income hypothesis (PIH):
The PIH states that individuals optimally choose how much to consume by allocating their resources (assets and income) across their lifetime.
Aggregate Demand is…
…the real expenditure on goods and services produced in the home economy.
yD = C + I + G + (X - M)
Monetary policy seeks to…
…stabilise aggregate demand by changing interest rates, which affect the investment decisions of firms and the purchase decisionts of households.
For example, a rise in the interest rate increases the cost of financing investment projects, and projects that would have gone ahead with lower interest rates are postponed or cancelled.
Claim: Investment is much more volatile than consumption and government spending. explain.
True:
Investment depends on expected post-tax profits and is very dependent on how optimistic firms are, so it tends to flourish in boom periods and collapse in recessions.
Also, investment can be more easily delayed than C and G.
In the IS equilibrium…
… the aggregate demand is equal to the economy output.
yD = y
What is the paradox of thrift?
The paradox of thrift is a situation where encouraging people to save more during a recession may actually worsen the economic downturn.
If everyone saves more and spends less, it can lead to a decrease in overall demand, causing a decline in income and worsening the recession.
This happens because the reduction in consumption can outweigh any positive effects of increased savings, especially if the saved money is not being invested to boost economic activity. In simpler terms, trying to save more during tough economic times might end up hurting the economy instead of helping it.
A higher multiplier k means…
(for Investment sensitivity)
…investment is more sensitive to interest rate.
An IS with larger multiplier k is…
…flatter
A rise in the marginal propensity to consume, c1, or a fall in the tax rate, t, will … the multiplier, making the IS…
increase
flatter