In
economics, aggregate demand (AD) is the total demand for final goods and services in the economy at a given time and
price level. The aggregate demand (AD) relation is described as a linear sum of three separable demand sources. AD=C+I+G , if any one of three demand increase or decrease such as Government expenditure, aggregate demand would change positively. (Wikipedia 2008)
For example, Keynesian cross diagram of aggregate demand
2. Animal SpiritsThis is a level of confidence which is overly optimistic without taking into account the negatives of a given situation.
For example, an entrepreneur establishing a new business in a highly competitive market may not consider the possibility of his/her business failing.
3. Bank RunA bank run is a type of financial crisis. It takes place when the customers of a bank fear that the bank will become insolvent and withdraw their deposits as quickly as possible. (Wikipedia 2008)
For example, Northern Rock’s position as a result of the sub-prime crisis. Their customers feared insolvency and thus, rushed to withdraw deposits.
4. BondIn
finance, a bond is a
debt security, in which the authorised issuer owes the holders a debt and is obliged to repay the principal and interest (the
coupon) at a later date, termed
maturity.
For example, the U.S. government issues bonds such as T-bonds, T-bills etc. in order to finance capital requirements yet are not obliged to pay the coupons or principal until a predefined later date.
5. Capital AccountThis is an account comprised of a country’s loans and borrowings (both positive and negative) made by the public, government and other institutions. The capital account works in tandem with the current account to form a country’s balance of payments.
For example, an Irish resident acquiring a villa in Spain would have a negative effect on Ireland’s capital account as it is a capital outflow.
6. Debt to GDP ratioThis measures the level of a country's debt in relation to its gross domestic product (GDP). The debt-to-GDP ratio indicates the country's ability to pay back its debt.
For example, in The United Stated, people describe the current level of national debt as insignificant relative to the GDP. Below, in Figure 2 (a chart comparing the US debt, in red, to the debt’s percent of GDP, in blue)
(Mc Gourty 2007)
7. Effective DemandEffective demand (in
macroeconomics usually regarded as synonymous with
aggregate demand), is an economic principle that suggests consumer needs and desires must be accompanied by purchasing power (
money) to be considered effective in discussions of
supply and demand for the determination of
price. (Wikipedia 2008)
For example, in order for the demand for a good to increase in effective terms, there must be more than a desire for that good, it must actually be backed up by the ability to purchase the good. Only when the good is being physically purchased will this have an effect on driving up the price of the good.
8. DeflationThis can be defined as a general decline in prices, often caused by a reduction of the money supply. Deflation can be caused also by a decrease in government, personal or investment spending. The opposite of inflation, deflation has the side effect of increased unemployment since there is a lower level of demand in the economy, which can lead to an economic depression. (Investopedia 2008)
For example, in 1979, the UK and the US governments adopted deflationary economic policies whereby they were willing to accept higher levels of unemployment in an attempt to reduce inflation. This is depicted in the following graph:
(Bized 2008)
9. Consumption FunctionJohn Maynard Keynes developed a mathematical function to express consumer spending as one term called the "consumption function". The consumption function calculates the amount of total
consumption in an
economy. It is made up of
autonomous consumption that is not influenced by current income and
induced consumption that is influenced by the economy's income level.
For example, the consumption function may be written as C = α + mpc * Yd.
C = consumer expenditure
α = intercept term
mpc = marginal propensity to consume
Yd = disposable income
10. Consumer Price IndexA consumer price index (CPI) is an
index number measuring the average price of consumer goods and services purchased by households. It is one of several
price indices calculated by national statistical agencies. The percent change in the CPI is a measure of
inflation. The CPI can be used to index (i.e., adjust for the effects of inflation) wages, salaries,
pensions, or regulated or contracted prices. (Wikipedia 2008)
For example, if a basket of goods in Ireland costs €100 in year 1 and the same basket of goods costs €105 in year 2, then the inflation rate in Ireland between year 1 & 2 has been 5%.
11. Investment FunctionThe investment function is a summary of the variables that influence the levels of aggregate investments. (Wikipedia 2008)
I=I(r,ΔY,q)
r = real interest rate
Y = GDP
Q = Tobin’s q
12. Fiscal ExpansionChanges in government expenditure and/or tax rates that influence total expenditure are examples of discretionary fiscal policy. Increases in expenditure and cuts in taxes are expansionary, decreases in expenditure and taxes hikes are contractionary. (Leddin and Walsh, 2003 p: 24)
For example, this will lead to a larger budget deficit or a smaller budget surplus than the government previously had a balanced budget. Expansionary fiscal policy is usually associated with a budget deficit. (Wikipedia 2008)
13. GDP DeflatorIn
economics, the GDP deflator (implicit price deflator for GDP) is a measure of the change in prices of all new, domestically produced, final goods and services in an economy. GDP stands for
gross domestic product, the total value of all final goods and services produced within that economy during a specified period.
GDP Deflator = (Nominal GDP / Real GDP) * 100
(Wikipedia 2008)
14. ImportsThese are goods or commodities that are produced in a foreign country which are made available for purchase to consumers of a domestic economy. In an economic sense, imports can be used to fulfil the demand for a product in a domestic economy which cannot be fulfilled by the economy itself.
For example, there is a demand for coffee in Ireland’s economy; Ireland does not have the capacity to fulfil this demand as it does not have the climate to produce coffee beans. Therefore, Ireland imports coffee from Brazil to satisfy the demand in its economy.
15. Monetary contractionThis is the process used to reduce the money supply in an economy. This is controlled by the central bank of the economy and can be achieved either through the reduction of the monetary base or indirectly through increasing nominal interest rates.
For example, the central bank could sell bonds in exchange for domestic currency; the central bank would then keep this currency which would decrease the money supply.
16. Nominal GDPThis is the value of all the goods and services produced in an economy without taking inflation into account.
For example, if the real GDP in Ireland’s economy is 3% and the inflation is 3%, then the nominal GDP would be 6%
17. Propensity to consumeThis defines an individual’s preference for consumption today rather than saving his income for the future.
For example, if John has a propensity to consume of 0.75, he will spend 75% of his income and will save 25%.
18. Short runThis is a time frame upon which a firm must make decisions to prolong the existence of the firm into the long run.
For example, if the firm makes bad production decisions which would increase average variable costs above the price in the short run, the firm would not survive into the long run.
19. Real exchange rateThis is the ratio of prices between two countries currency which has been adjusted to account for inflation in both countries.
For example, € = (PEUR X e)/PUS (Leddin and Walsh, 2003: p.189)
20. Trade SurplusThis occurs when the value of the exports in an economy exceeds that of what that country imports from foreign producers.
For example, if Ireland exported €2 billion and imported only €1.5 billion, Ireland would have a trade surplus of €500 million.
ReferencesBized (2008) ‘Philips Curve – is unemployment inflated?’ available:
http://www.bized.co.uk/virtual/bank/images/phillips.gif [accessed 10 Feb 2008].
Investopedia (2008) ‘Deflation’ available: http://www.investopedia.com/terms/d/deflation.asp [accessed 7 Feb 2008].
Leddin, A. J. and Walsh, B. M. (2003) The Macroeconomy of the Eurozone: an Irish Perspective, Dublin: Gill & Macmillan.
Mc Gourty, S (2007) ‘An Analysis of the Presidents Who Are Responsible for the Borrowing’, available:
http://www.cedarcomm.com/~stevelm1/usdebt.htm [accessed 7 Feb 2008].
Wikipedia (2008) ‘Aggregate Demand’ available:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aggregate_demand [accessed 7 Feb 2008].
Wikipedia (2008) ‘Bank Run’ available:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bank_run [accessed 7 Feb 2008].
Wikipedia (2008) ‘Bond (Finance) available:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bond_%28finance%29 [accessed 7 Feb 2008].
Wikipedia (2008) ‘Consumer Price Index’ available: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consumer_price_index [accessed 7 Feb 2008].
Wikipedia (2008) ‘Consumption Function’ available: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consumption_function [accessed 7 Feb 2008].
Wikipedia (2008) ‘Effective Demand’ available: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Effective_demand [accessed 7 Feb 2008].
Wikipedia (2008) ‘Fiscal Policy’ available: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiscal_policy [accessed 7 Feb 2008].
Wikipedia (2008) ‘GDP Deflator’ available:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GDP_deflator [accessed 7 Feb 2008].
Wikipedia (2008) ‘Investment Function’ available: http://en.wikipedia.org/wi
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