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News Ticker
  • [ January 19, 2026 ] Luxembourg Cuts Upfront Costs to Encourage Solar Energy and Sustainability Economic News
  • [ January 15, 2026 ] China Posts Record Trade Surplus Despite Tariffs Economic News
  • [ November 12, 2025 ] Mexico Imposes 156% Sugar Import Tariff to Protect Domestic Producers Economic News
  • [ November 11, 2025 ] Freeze the Rent: Zohran Mamdani’s Bold Bet on Price Controls — An Economist’s Dream or Nightmare? Economic News
  • [ November 10, 2025 ] Philippines Introduces Rice Import Quota to Balance Farmer Protection and Food Security Economic News
HomeCONSUMPTION

CONSUMPTION

Consumer and Business Behaviour

American Brands are Feeling the Squeeze as Sales Drop in China

November 5, 2024 TheCuriousEconomist Comments Off on American Brands are Feeling the Squeeze as Sales Drop in China

U.S. consumer giants are finding China a challenging market as slowing consumer spending and strong local competition impact sales. Tech titan Apple, coffee chain Starbucks, and sportswear giant Nike have all reported sales dips in […]

Aggregate Demand and Supply

U.S. Retail Sales Surprise with July Jump!

September 1, 2023 TheCuriousEconomist Comments Off on U.S. Retail Sales Surprise with July Jump!

In July, the U.S. retail sales report showed a surprising increase, despite the inflationary pressures and a series of Federal Reserve interest rate hikes. The Commerce Department reported a seasonally adjusted increase of 0.7% for […]

supermarket aisle during panic buying
Aggregate Demand and Supply

UK Inflation on a Roll: Record Bread Prices Send Inflation Soaring

April 24, 2023 TheCuriousEconomist Comments Off on UK Inflation on a Roll: Record Bread Prices Send Inflation Soaring

In March, UK inflation persisted at over 10%, mainly due to skyrocketing bread prices. Consumer prices increased by 10.1%, with food prices climbing by 19.2%—the highest increase in 45 years. Bread and cereals experienced a […]

Economic News

Nestle planning another price increase

February 24, 2023 TheCuriousEconomist Comments Off on Nestle planning another price increase

Nestle, one of the world’s largest food and beverage companies, is planning to increase prices again this year as they grapple with food inflation and the surging cost of ingredients. The Swiss conglomerate, famous all […]

Aggregate Demand and Supply

Food prices at a 14-year high as the UK battles inflation

November 14, 2022 TheCuriousEconomist Comments Off on Food prices at a 14-year high as the UK battles inflation

Annual food prices in the UK went up by 14.7% in October, representing the largest increase since records began in 2008.  Driven largely by the knock-on effects of Russia’s war in Ukraine, food inflation is […]

Container ship from above
Consumer and Business Behaviour

An online shopping boom is fueling ships across the Pacific

September 22, 2020 TheCuriousEconomist Comments Off on An online shopping boom is fueling ships across the Pacific

In the last few months, American consumers have been going mad for online shopping, with the result being a buoyant shipping industry across the transpacific. In these coronavirus times, consumer demand for household goods has […]

Australia in recession
Aggregate Demand and Supply

An economy down under: Australia facing the prospect of a deep recession

June 5, 2020 TheCuriousEconomist Comments Off on An economy down under: Australia facing the prospect of a deep recession

Josh Frydenberg, the Australian Treasurer, announced on Wednesday that the economy is likely to have shrunk by as much as 9% from April to June. This further decline in size, following a 0.3% contraction in […]

British Supercar manufacturer McLaren to cut more than 25% of their workforce
Consumer and Business Behaviour

British Supercar manufacturer McLaren to cut more than 25% of their workforce

May 27, 2020 TheCuriousEconomist Comments Off on British Supercar manufacturer McLaren to cut more than 25% of their workforce

As the world’s economies continue to reel from the damage caused by the spread of Covid-19, Supercar manufacturer McLaren is the latest company to announce a huge wave of layoffs. The British based firm is […]

an imge to show an empty shopping mall as retail sales plummet in the US
Aggregate Demand and Supply

Declining rate of retail sales at a historic low as consumer confidence plummets in the US

May 16, 2020 TheCuriousEconomist Comments Off on Declining rate of retail sales at a historic low as consumer confidence plummets in the US

The latest in a long list of ‘historic lows’ since Covid-19 wiped out the global economy is the total collapse of the American retail sector. Data released by the US Census Bureau has shown that […]

an image to show how the demand for luxury goods is falling
Consumer and Business Behaviour

Loo roll over Louis Vuitton: luxury brands amongst the hardest hit by Covid-19

April 9, 2020 TheCuriousEconomist Comments Off on Loo roll over Louis Vuitton: luxury brands amongst the hardest hit by Covid-19

The global fashion industry, valued at over US$2 trillion, has been hit extremely hard by the worldwide spread of Covid-19, resulting in business closures, loss of jobs, and plummeting sales throughout the whole supply chain. […]

an image to show the increasing demand for ramen
Basic Economic Concepts

Ramen: the inferior good behaving like an… inferior good!

April 8, 2020 TheCuriousEconomist Comments Off on Ramen: the inferior good behaving like an… inferior good!

For a student of economics, one of the first concepts we learn about is the different types of goods. That is a normal good, a luxury good, and an inferior good. By normal, we don’t […]

An image of a glass of orange juice
Consumer and Business Behaviour

Orange juice is the new king of commodities: prices set to soar!

March 27, 2020 TheCuriousEconomist Comments Off on Orange juice is the new king of commodities: prices set to soar!

As consumers around the world look for any way they can to fend off the deadly coronavirus, drinking copious amounts of orange juice has emerged as one of the most popular strategies. Packed full of […]

supermarket aisle during panic buying
Aggregate Demand and Supply

We’ve heard about the toilet paper, but what else are people panic buying?

March 22, 2020 TheCuriousEconomist Comments Off on We’ve heard about the toilet paper, but what else are people panic buying?

Since the deadly outbreak of Covid-19, there have been cases all over the world of panic-stricken consumers rushing to supermarkets and filling their trolleys with everything they can get their hands on. We’ve mainly heard […]

Basic Economic Concepts

Paper gold: could the price of toilet paper be about to skyrocket?

March 4, 2020 TheCuriousEconomist Comments Off on Paper gold: could the price of toilet paper be about to skyrocket?

With growing concerns over the spread of the coronavirus in Australia, supermarkets and other retailers have been stockpiling supplies of toilet paper over fears that they may face a sudden shortage. In response to the […]

Aggregate Demand and Supply

Corona Credit Crunch for many Chinese businesses

February 25, 2020 TheCuriousEconomist Comments Off on Corona Credit Crunch for many Chinese businesses

With millions of people in self-imposed quarantine across China and severe travel restrictions, small and medium sized businesses could be on the verge of collapse. Since the outbreak of the deadly coronavirus in January, businesses […]

Basic Economic Concepts

When supply outstrips demand: American wine at its lowest price in 20 years!

February 21, 2020 TheCuriousEconomist Comments Off on When supply outstrips demand: American wine at its lowest price in 20 years!

The price of wine is dropping fast in the US as a result of changing patterns in consumer behaviour. Where wine was once the popular choice of alcoholic beverage for many young Americans, demand has […]

Aggregate Demand and Supply

Consumers in Israel are consuming their way to economic expansion

February 19, 2020 TheCuriousEconomist Comments Off on Consumers in Israel are consuming their way to economic expansion

An unexpected surge in economic growth at the end of 2019 was very good news for the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who will soon be battling in a national election. GDP increased by 4.8% […]

Consumer and Business Behaviour

Research shows excise tax to reduce alcohol consumption

January 1, 2020 TheCuriousEconomist Comments Off on Research shows excise tax to reduce alcohol consumption

A recent study in the US found that increasing the excise tax (tax paid on the purchase of a specific good) on alcohol products could lead to a reduction in consumption by as much as […]

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Recent Posts

  • Luxembourg Cuts Upfront Costs to Encourage Solar Energy and Sustainability
  • China Posts Record Trade Surplus Despite Tariffs
  • Mexico Imposes 156% Sugar Import Tariff to Protect Domestic Producers
  • Freeze the Rent: Zohran Mamdani’s Bold Bet on Price Controls — An Economist’s Dream or Nightmare?
  • Philippines Introduces Rice Import Quota to Balance Farmer Protection and Food Security
  • McDonald’s Battles a Split Market: Value Meals, Profit Margins, and a Tale of Two Consumers
  • Carney’s Big Bet: Canada Tackles Tariffs with Trillion-Dollar Ambition
  • Trade Truce? Trump and Xi Strike a Cautious Deal to Cool Tensions
  • Trump’s Beef with Beef: How Tariffs and Imports Are Shaping U.S. Meat Prices
  • Alcohol Prices Surge as Trinidad and Tobago Doubles Excise Duty

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Most Read Articles.

Balance of Payments

Kenya and the US look set to sign a free-trade deal despite Trump’s attacks on global trade

February 7, 2020 Comments Off on Kenya and the US look set to sign a free-trade deal despite Trump’s attacks on global trade

Under President Trump, the US stance towards global trade has become increasingly protectionist, with billions of dollars of tariffs placed on goods from countries all over the world, engagement in a devastating trade war with […]

Rishi Sunak
Aggregate Demand and Supply

UK government to step in and pay people’s wages

March 21, 2020 Comments Off on UK government to step in and pay people’s wages

In yet another unbelievable day of economic policy in action, the chancellor of the exchequer, Rishi Sunak, announced yesterday the latest measures to protect people’s income, keep businesses alive, and encourage spending in the economy.  […]

an image of currency in Saudi Arabia when they announced a 10% increase in VAT
Consumer and Business Behaviour

VAT to be tripled in Saudi Arabia to 15%

May 11, 2020 Comments Off on VAT to be tripled in Saudi Arabia to 15%

Saudi Arabia, the second largest oil producing nation in the world, has for the last few years been trying desperately to diversify its economy and reduce their dependence on the export of oil. Despite being […]

Economic News

China makes pledge to be ‘carbon neutral’ by 2060

October 20, 2020 Comments Off on China makes pledge to be ‘carbon neutral’ by 2060

In what some commentators are calling a bold and audacious pledge, President Xi announced to the UN that China will be carbon neutral by the year 2060. That gives the world’s second largest economy, and […]

Aggregate Demand and Supply

Dark days for the UK economy…

September 29, 2022 Comments Off on Dark days for the UK economy…

The UK economy has been plunged into economic turmoil since the announcement of the mini-budget last week.  Since the new chancellor, Kwasi Kwarteng, announced the largest tax cuts in 50 years the economy seems to […]

Keep Curious.

Curious?

Inflation Unveiled: Making Cents of Our Changing Economy

October 31, 2023 Comments Off on Inflation Unveiled: Making Cents of Our Changing Economy

Definition of Inflation and Deflation Inflation often conjures images of rising prices, crowded shopping malls, and the palpable anxiety of our money’s diminishing purchasing power. At its core, inflation is when the general level of […]

Curious?

Beyond the Bottom Line: Why Profit Isn’t Always the Goal

September 8, 2023 Comments Off on Beyond the Bottom Line: Why Profit Isn’t Always the Goal

In the world of business, profit is often seen as the ultimate measure of success. But is it always? In fact, many businesses and entrepreneurs have objectives that stretch far beyond just making money. Let’s […]

Consumer and Business Behaviour

Social Enterprises: A Business with a Heart?

October 31, 2023 Comments Off on Social Enterprises: A Business with a Heart?

What is a Social Enterprise? In a world dominated by profits and financial charts, imagine a business model that cares not just about the bottom line, but also about making a positive impact. That’s the […]

SGD News.

Economic News

Luxembourg Cuts Upfront Costs to Encourage Solar Energy and Sustainability

January 19, 2026 Comments Off on Luxembourg Cuts Upfront Costs to Encourage Solar Energy and Sustainability

Luxembourg has introduced a new solar subsidy scheme designed to accelerate the transition to renewable energy by reducing the upfront costs faced by households. Under the new pre-financing system, which came into force on January […]

Economic News

BP’s Brazil Oil Find Tests the Trade-Offs Between Growth and Sustainability

August 13, 2025 Comments Off on BP’s Brazil Oil Find Tests the Trade-Offs Between Growth and Sustainability

BP has announced its largest oil and gas discovery in a quarter of a century, this time in deep waters off Brazil. The “Bumerangue” field could become a major new production hub and marks BP’s […]

Economic News

Nigeria’s economy on a rapid rise but so are prices

May 13, 2025 Comments Off on Nigeria’s economy on a rapid rise but so are prices

Nigeria’s economy grew 4.6% year-on-year in Q4 2024, marking its fastest expansion in a decade. According to the World Bank, the full-year growth rate reached 3.6% and is expected to continue in 2025. This is […]

Policy Spotlight.

Economic News

Luxembourg Cuts Upfront Costs to Encourage Solar Energy and Sustainability

January 19, 2026 Comments Off on Luxembourg Cuts Upfront Costs to Encourage Solar Energy and Sustainability

Luxembourg has introduced a new solar subsidy scheme designed to accelerate the transition to renewable energy by reducing the upfront costs faced by households. Under the new pre-financing system, which came into force on January […]

Economic News

Freeze the Rent: Zohran Mamdani’s Bold Bet on Price Controls — An Economist’s Dream or Nightmare?

November 11, 2025 Comments Off on Freeze the Rent: Zohran Mamdani’s Bold Bet on Price Controls — An Economist’s Dream or Nightmare?

New York City has a new mayor, and his signature promise fits on a protest sign: Freeze the Rent. Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist and former state assembly member from Queens, swept into office by […]

Economic News

Philippines Introduces Rice Import Quota to Balance Farmer Protection and Food Security

November 10, 2025 Comments Off on Philippines Introduces Rice Import Quota to Balance Farmer Protection and Food Security

The Philippines has announced that it will reopen rice imports in January 2026, allowing 300,000 tonnes of rice to enter the country after several months of import restrictions. The move comes as local rice stocks […]

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