Ask an Economist
Would the transition be better if I pursued pure mathematics instead, because my experiences has been lately in proof making? What can I look forward to? How and what should I be looking into, to start off, if economics is a good choice? I am a highly curious person. Plus, I have worked hard, I have been doing pure mathematics on my own since 2004 until presently; but, it has been slow going; so, I thought that by going into something that has a better return in investments of my intellectual energy, I should try microeconomics?
The prospect of a mid-life career change would be daunting for anyone. In the end, you’ll have to make that difficult decision on your own. But I can give you a few tips on how you might begin to explore whether a career in economics...
After about a month when the commodity has less than 2 weeks of shelf life it may be sold at .69/lb and then discarded after another week.
1) Why would the store not further discount these items at let's say .30/lb to clear the complete stock? ( I understand it is so as not to let the global/US prices of the commodity go down.)
2) Is wasting better for the store than to sell it at a discount?
3) Even if customers stop buying fresh commodity and start to wait until the price goes down to .30/lb. Isn't it economically profitable to the store to actually sell it than waste it ?
Thanks
Food waste arises from preferences, incentives, and constraints. Retailers have time and other resource constraints which implies that it simply will not be worth it to sell every last item of food in every instance. It can be said that there is...
Okay, so this is going to be a really stupid question but I need to know the answer to this. There is a message board about collecting video games and we got into a argument about the definition of the word "rarity." With these games, we all know the exact amount of copies printed for each title. Say Game A has 2000 copies printed and Game B has 5000 copies printed. Assuming that no copies are lost or destroyed, Game A will always be rarer, correct? Someone else is arguing that the availability of copies on the secondary market changes this.
If Game A has 20 copies available on the marketplace right now and Game B only has 2 copies, would Game B be considered to be rarer overall? At that moment in time, sure, but overall, I would say no. Is either of us correct? Would the monetary value of the game on the secondary market change the definition of rarity? Thanks for your time!
In the strictest (or standard) sense of the word, you would be correct that game A is “rarer,” given that there are fewer of these in existence than game B. However, the other person is not totally wrong because, in the words of economists, the “...
Economists always consider it important to identify whether theoretical models effectively explain the real economy. Your question has also been a long-standing one for economists. At first glance, it may seem possible to estimate a demand...
I am 29 and have worked as a designer/maker in several respects all my adult life, I studied furniture design at University and got my BA, but I don't think my heart is in it, Economics and Politics are what really grip me, when I'm not at work (and when I can AT work), all I want to do is read and listen to books on economics and it's surrounding subjects, politics/philosophy.
I was good at maths when I was doing it in my early teen years but had a setback in my youth due to outside forces and never progressed beyond quite simple stuff compared to what is needed be an Economist I would imagine. Although I graduated with awards and the highest marks in my class in my Furniture Design Degree, I'm worried my academic skills aren't up to scratch to apply to a masters degree as I have not had much academic schooling and my experience has been in much more subjective fields.
Is it too late for me to get an education/find work as an economist in some respect? My academic schooling didn't get that far in my formative years which i regret massively. If there is still hope for me, what subjects would you recommend that I learn and to what degree? Having already done a BA Undergrad degree, I don't think I want to go back to do another Bachelors, but if I wanted to attend a masters degree, how would I get a University to take my application seriously? Should I complete respected online courses in subjects relating to Economics (I fear I cannot afford to attend an in person course at the moment)? Statistics, Mathematics, Probability, ect? Do you know of any resources for these subjects that you would recommend? The internet is crawling with paid online courses for these subjects but it's difficult to know which would be most relevant or even respected by a University I might wish to apply to.
Thank you for taking the time to read this and I appreciate any answer you might give, Beau
I commend your interest in Economics as a discipline. Economics offers powerful insights about many aspects of the way society is organized and provides a helpful way of thinking about many contemporary policy issues.
As you have...
let's say i bought a property in Egypt in 2020 at 100K USD when the exchange rate = 15 Egyptian Pound for 1 USD and i paid in local currency because there is a law that says real estate prices should be in local currency so i paid 1,500,000 Egyptian Pound for the flat.
In 2024 i sold the property at 3,000,000 Egyptian Pound so it looks like i doubled my money. However, now the exchange rate = 60 Egyptian Pound for 1 USD.
Therefore in reality i lost half of my money by this investment.
I said this cannot be possible and the value of the property should go up with the inflation. and I argued that investing in real estate or commodities like gold is one of the safest and best ways to protect your money from inflation.
unless i was in need for the money and sold it at any price, or the market is down due to the low demand and high offers in the market or any other factors. But, in principle the property true value should be at least whatever is 100K USD i paid in 2020 is worth in 2024 which is in this case 6,000,000 Egyptian Pound.
his argument was that this only applies to Gold and inflation and fluctuating exchange rate doesn't affect properties prices.
can you please explain if this is possible or if we both are wrong and give us some knowledge about this scenario and how can i truly secure my invest or money against inflation
Let’s start by understanding the numbers (Table 1).
Table 1 |
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Like any other taxes, people have different views on luxury tax. Some might view it as a way to raise government revenues without having large impacts on the less wealthy. Others might disagree with this progressive taxation and argue that the...
I don't know what I would do with the information you give me if I'm correct in this idea, short of maybe trying to make an argument to the manufacturers about how holding back information is a flaw in their strategy and it can be demonstrated using game theory.
Let’s consider the three parties involved with a car sale and its potential repair. The three parties are, the consumer, the firm, and the repairman.
First, let’s try to view this from the firm’s perspective. Within in automobile they...
To understand Open Market Operations (OMOs), we first need to understand, Government securities. Government securities are a tradeable instrument issued by the Government (Treasury securities in case of US). They derive their value from the...
I need help on the economic impact of losing our largest employer, which would be detrimental as well as the economic impact of increased construction in our county to include the direct, indirect and induced impact. I know the 7x multiplier is incorrect, but is there a way to estimate the economic impact?
The primary issue you have identified is the shortage of houses, especially those priced below $150,000. Since there is not enough information to evaluate the entire situation, let's make a few assumptions and discuss how the tax rebate policy...
There is nothing wrong with your findings. What you described may happen. It is about the rejection cycles that form in each iteration. During the running of the algorithm, many rejection cycles may occur. It seems like many rejection cycles...
GDP per capita and average family income are two distinct indicators used to evaluate economic performance. Each has its advantages and disadvantages, which vary based on the specific question and context.
GDP per capita is a measure of a...
Your question is nearly as much philosophical as economic in nature. Philosophy is definitely outside my comfort zone, but, fortunately, I was able to confer with a philosopher. So let me start by addressing that part of your question...
“Economic Growth” is the year-on-year increase in a country’s GDP, that is, the total market value of goods and services produced in a year. As you rightly said, population is an important factor, and therefore, more meaningfully, we look at the...
A few reasons livestock producers may be interested in selling locally include having:
- an available market
- potential to capture premium prices
- a direct connection with consumers
-...
There is an extensive research record on the role of information on stock and commodity prices. Among the examples:
Th U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has strict rules on how and when they release their monthly reports on unemployment and...
To start, I’ll clarify a couple pieces of the question. First, from Lacy et al. (2019): A binding price floor is a legal minimum price, set by the government, at which a good can be sold. Second, while we often think of producers as the suppliers...
Disclaimer. The following is not intended as investment advice. You should consult a financial advisor who knows the tax and real estate issues related to New York City as there are likely many factors to consider.
First,...
This is an interesting observation. We regularly see spatial clustering of similar establishments for a number of reasons including natural advantage, agglomeration economies, zoning, social networks, and "norms" shaping location decisions...
https://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.htm
Did they make a mistake - in their report of gasoline prices (or have I've misunderstood something)?
They reported a July unadjusted percent change - for gasoline (all types) = .2%
(see link below)
https://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.t01.htm
I follow gasoline prices - as reported by the U.S. Energy Information Agency (EIA), and by others like the AAA. The EIA and AAA reports for July - were consistent. Their reports showed a July increase of - approximately 20 cents / gallon.
If the EIA & AAA reports are correct, the July unadjusted percent change (for all types of gasoline) was: .20 / 3.66 = 5.47%
not: .2%
Such a sizable difference - would significantly impact the reported CPI, and other averages.
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Here's the relevant EIA data:
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https://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/hist/LeafHandler.ashx?n=PET&s=EMM_EPM0_PTE_NUS_DPG&f=W
At the beginning of July, EIA reports for U.S. gasoline price [all grades all formulations] were:
On 06/26/2023 - They reported all grades all formulations = 3.685
On 07/03/2023 - They reported all grades all formulations = 3.643
An estimate for 07/01/2023 - using the 06/26 and 07/03 prices - was 3.66
On 07/31/2023 - EIA reported [all grades all formulations] gasoline price = 3.869
So their prices indicate a July increase of 20 cents / gallon.
Note: The same exercise was done using the EIA Regular Gasoline Prices - which also showed an increase of about 20 cents / gallon.
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Here's the relevant AAA report (Aug 3):
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https://gasprices.aaa.com/increases-at-the-pump-slow-and-more-relief-could-be-on-the-way/
A key statement in their Aug 3rd report says,
"Today’s national average of $3.82 is 29 cents more than a month ago"
Any thoughts you might have regarding my question of the July BLS report - is greatly appreciated…
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The EIA website - also has History spreadsheet (with comprehensive data)
https://www.eia.gov/petroleum/gasdiesel/
https://www.eia.gov/petroleum/gasdiesel/xls/pswrgvwall.xls
The following is a snapshot of the EIA report regarding Regular Gasoline Prices on 07/03:
price was 3.527, and change was -0.044 from week ago - from which I noticed about the same 20 cents / gallon increase in July, for regular gasoline.
The BLS reports Consumer Price Indices which are different from nominal prices reported by other sources mentioned in the question. The BLS index measures price change from a designated reference date (the reference base for most of the items is...
By definition, revenue equals price of product times the number of units of the product sold. If revenue grows by 3% (in dollar terms) and inflation is 6%, it means there is negative "real" growth, meaning the purchasing power of that revenue...
Most economists would start to answer this question by asking a question: what is the objective you have in mind, and why? Specifically, what problem are you trying to solve for which the solution is a wealth cap? Wealth is a stock, of past...
1) Now? The event sold out yesterday. There are likely many desperate and disappointed fans.
2) Close to the concert date? It'll get a lot of hype in the days leading up to the event.
3) somewhere in between?
[The following guidance provided herein is of a generic nature and derived from overarching principles of economics. It is not intended to be construed as particularized counsel with respect to Taylor Swift performances or the...
Members of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) take a broad range of information into account when forming their economic forecasts, including considering how changes to fiscal policies may affect the economy. One way to get a sense of...
Thanks for asking. This is a good and long-lasting debated question in Economics. As reported, the recent fertility rate in Canada is around 1.4, which is relatively low because the subsistence level is 2.1. I believe the Canadian...