Case Studies in Macro Economics

Course Description

This is a tour of historic economic events decoding them to understand core concepts in Macro-Economics.

Let's parse that

• 'why macro-econ':Central bank and Government budget decisions effect an individual's financial situation. Knowing what are the stimulators of these decisions can smooth out financial planning. This is where learning Macro-Economics will help sail your boat.
• 'story-telling': Macro-economics is nothing but an engaging story of how, why and in what way do People, Government and Central Bank react to economic events. No wonder that the process of learning Macro-Economics should also be a story. We have done exactly that. By looking into historical events with a magnifying glass, we elaborate every little concept that literally govern economic decisions.
• 'the big picture': Half knowledge is always dangerous. Everything in macro-economics connects in some way. Understanding how everything intersect in the bigger picture of things only would assure sound decisions. This course helps you understand why recession follows boom, or why interest hike trails inflation. We will connect the dots of major macro-economic concepts.

What's Covered:

• Recession of 1970s: Cause and effect analysis, Government Decisions, Fiscal and Monetary policies
• Unemployment and inflation: Effects on aggregate demand and supply, relation between unemployment and inflation
• GDP and Income: 4 components of GDP, Concept of Value Added, Nominal and real growth, Price Index, National Income, Disposable Income, Consumption and Savings
• How does GDP Grow?: Analysis of the growth stories of Japan, China and Singapore
• Investments and Interest Rates: Expectation, Revenue and Costs, why do interest rates change, Controls on Money Supply
• 2008 Global Economic Recession: Root causes demystified, effects of recession and interplay of macro-economic factors
• Balance of Payments: Current account and capital account transactions broken down
• Foreign Exchange Rates: Purchasing Power Parity, determinants of real exchange rates, connection of Oil Prices and exchange rates
• The bigger picture: Why spike in oil prices are followed by recession and how does everything connect.