Andrew Smithers

Contributor since: 26 Feb 2010

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• Mutual Benefit

  Published 04 February 2003 | viewed 2,584 times

  The weakness of the world's economy is neither unusual nor necessarily very serious. Recessions, and a speedy recovery from them, are normal. The worry today…

• Japan Needs Aggressive Monetary Change

  Published 28 January 2003 | viewed 2,587 times

  The Bank of Japan's Governor, Masaru Hayami, retires in March. He has opposed the use of monetary policy to encourage economic recovery. A change in…

• US Dividend Taxes

  Published 22 January 2003 | viewed 3,105 times

  The US government proposes to cut the taxes paid on dividends. The motive for the change differs from the reasons given. As the motive is…

• U S Fiscal Policy May Lower The Dollar

  Published 15 January 2003 | viewed 2,884 times

  Last week I wrote about the dubious argument that the dollar needs to be weak because it is fundamentally over-valued. This does not of course…

• Is the Dollar Being Libelled?

  Published 08 January 2003 | viewed 2,876 times

  It's almost unanimous that the dollar is over-valued. The strength of the conviction is matched by the weakness of the argument. The argument is based…

• Housing

  Published 27 November 2002 | viewed 3,009 times

  Economists respond too readily to the market. There is a huge demand for "point" forecasts about what will happen next year and economists supply them.…

• Investors Should Not Aid Investment Banks

  Published 21 November 2002 | viewed 2,711 times

  Recently, there have been some calls in the City for companies to pay higher dividends. Under the old system of Advanced Corporation Tax ("ACT") this…

• The Burden of Past Error

  Published 11 November 2002 | viewed 2,540 times

  Worldwide the economic news is worrying. Finance Ministers and central bankers remain loath to admit it. They resemble underperforming fund managers who insist that it's…