income

US incomes have plateaued since 2001 as Boomers turn 55+

More and more people are lining up to support our argument that central bank stimulus programmes are damaging the economy, not helping it.  The latest is bond guru Bill Gross, who wrote yesterday: “Zero bound interest rates destroy the savings function of capitalism….(whilst companies) have plowed trillions into the financial economy as they buy back […]

Vast amounts of stimulus have not made China “middle class”

Debt can’t make a country middle-class overnight.  Even a massive amount of debt can’t achieve this.  Even the largest amount of debt in history can’t do this.  China’s experience since 2007, when it increased debt four-fold, proves this. As McKinsey have reported, China increased its debt from $7tn in 2007 to $28tn by the middle of […]

One in four Japanese now over 65 years

Japan’s new government has embarked on a desperate gamble to restore economic growth after 2 decades of decline. Unfortunately, it is doomed to fail.  The chart from the Financial Times, explains why.  And the reason is very simple: One in four Japanese are now over the age of 65 And this proportion is continuing to rise, […]

Decline in women’s earnings hits household budgets

The blog’s latest post for the Financial Times FT Data blog is below. September 20, 2013 2:47 pm by FT Whilst the number of working women in the UK continues to rise, since 2009 their total earnings have been falling in real terms. With consumer spending contributing to roughly 60 per cent of the UK […]