UK Economy and Economic Policy – pensionsandsavings.com

My warnings in 2006 about excess public spending – the irresponsibility was clear even then

May 5, 2015 Ros Altmann Comments 4 comments

It is simply incredible to deny that the Labour Government spent too much Failure to recognise or admit past over-spending is deeply worrying This is an article I wrote in 2006, exposing the excessive Government spending under Gordon Brown. It was clear to me even back then, and is still clear now, that the Government was spending far too much. I warned that this was the wrong policy, but it continued. Ed Balls and Ed Milliband were in charge…

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What’s the verdict on 5 years of record low rates and QE?

March 4, 2014 Ros Altmann Comments 2 comments

Brilliant for powerful groups but has caused economic distortions and increased inequalities Each £100,000 mortgage now costs £3300 a year less, saving borrowers about £19,000 since 2008 Savers with £100,000 in Cash ISAs lost £4000pa income and lost total of £18,500 since 2008 What happened 5 years ago? On March 5th 2009, the Bank of England cut interest rates to 0.5% and started creating billions of pounds of new money from thin air (calling this ‘Quantitative Easing’ or QE) which…

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Why pit pensioners and youngsters against each other?

January 8, 2014 Ros Altmann Comments 0 Comment

8 January 2014 Lost Generation fears are real but premature Baby boomers also went through tough times but went on to thrive We need to be very careful, coming out of a few years of recession and economic turnmoil, not to become too negative when discussing the plight of younger people today. Of course, the level of unemployment among younger people is a cause of great concern, but this is not necessarily a ‘lost generation’, as is so often claimed….

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Boom time for UK economy in 2014 – 5% growth!

December 23, 2013 Ros Altmann Comments 0 Comment

23 December 2013 Boom time for UK economy in 2014 – 5% growth Positive surprises – higher growth, lower inflation, rising earnings, falling unemployment Economic and political cycle brilliantly aligned – by accident or design? My forecasts for UK economy by end-2014: Growth – 5% Inflation – 2% Earnings growth – 3% Unemployment – 7% – a boom with low inflation, rising earnings and falling unemployment Leading indicators show UK set for a pre-election boom: The leading economic indicators have been strong for months now and…

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