Financial Times:
Debt and interest rates to be consumers? big worries, say economists
1 January 2018
Q: In 2017, consumers’ finances were squeezed by rapidly rising prices. Will 2018 be an easier year for UK households and what are the implications for consumer spending?
A: Swati Dhingra, assistant professor, London School of Economics - Depends on which form of Brexit, though the exchange rate depreciation component may have already manifested itself in the price index.
A: John Van Reenan, Gordon Y Billard professor of management and economics, MIT Sloan School of Management - The Brexit-inspired devaluation will work its way through, but continued uncertainty and the prospects of higher trade costs/lower foreign investment will be a drag.