The ‘secret deflator’ used to fiddle the GDP figures
Rather than use the RPI to calculate GDP, the government uses its own ‘secret deflator’. And that gives a completely different view of the economy.
I wrote here a few weeks ago about the oddly opaque manner in which the government figures out what inflation-adjusted GDP growth in the UK is.
It doesn't use the RPI or the CPI as a representative of inflation - as you might think they would instead, it uses its own deflator. I have no idea how that is calculated, and I strongly suspect that almost no one else does either.
The key point to note is that until 2010 the RPI and the deflator were much of a muchness. But in the last few years, they have suddenly (and to my mind inexplicably) parted ways.
Subscribe to MoneyWeek
Subscribe to MoneyWeek today and get your first six magazine issues absolutely FREE
Sign up to Money Morning
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
James Ferguson at MacroStrategy Partners has kindly picked this point up for me and produced this chart:
Real GDP vs NGDP adjusted for RPI
If you assume that the Office for National Statistics' occult calculations for the deflator are entirely reasonable and correct, the UK has avoided a double dip recession (hooray!).
If, on the other hand, you note that the deflator and the RPI have rarely diverged in the past, and so think that using the RPI to deflate nominal GDP continues to make perfect sense, it turns out that the real economy has been contracting since 2008 (boo!).
That's not a double dip. It is a depression.
Sign up to Money Morning
Our team, led by award winning editors, is dedicated to delivering you the top news, analysis, and guides to help you manage your money, grow your investments and build wealth.
Merryn Somerset Webb started her career in Tokyo at public broadcaster NHK before becoming a Japanese equity broker at what was then Warburgs. She went on to work at SBC and UBS without moving from her desk in Kamiyacho (it was the age of mergers).
After five years in Japan she returned to work in the UK at Paribas. This soon became BNP Paribas. Again, no desk move was required. On leaving the City, Merryn helped The Week magazine with its City pages before becoming the launch editor of MoneyWeek in 2000 and taking on columns first in the Sunday Times and then in 2009 in the Financial Times
Twenty years on, MoneyWeek is the best-selling financial magazine in the UK. Merryn was its Editor in Chief until 2022. She is now a senior columnist at Bloomberg and host of the Merryn Talks Money podcast - but still writes for Moneyweek monthly.
Merryn is also is a non executive director of two investment trusts – BlackRock Throgmorton, and the Murray Income Investment Trust.
-
Ireland elections: what happens next?
Ireland's election results seemed strangely familiar, as the two main incumbent parties retained power.
By Emily Hohler Published
-
South Korea's martial law turmoil: what it means for the economy
A shock declaration of martial law in South Korea was swiftly put down, but it exposed the nation's vulnerable democracy. What happens now?
By Emily Hohler Published
-
Beating inflation takes more luck than skill – but are we about to get lucky?
Opinion The US Federal Reserve managed to beat inflation in the 1980s. But much of that was down to pure luck. Thankfully, says Merryn Somerset Webb, the Bank of England may be about to get lucky.
By Merryn Somerset Webb Published
-
Rishi Sunak can’t fix all our problems – so why try?
Opinion Rishi Sunak’s Spring Statement is an attempt to plaster over problems the chancellor can’t fix. So should he even bother trying, asks Merryn Somerset Webb?
By Merryn Somerset Webb Published
-
Young people are becoming a scarce resource – we should value them more highly
Opinion In the last two years adults have been bizarrely unkind to children and young people. That doesn’t bode well for the future, says Merryn Somerset Webb.
By Merryn Somerset Webb Published
-
Ask for a pay rise – everyone else is
Opinion As inflation bites and the labour market remains tight, many of the nation's employees are asking for a pay rise. Merryn Somerset Webb explains why you should do that too.
By Merryn Somerset Webb Published
-
Why central banks should stick to controlling inflation
Opinion The world’s central bankers are stepping out of their traditional roles and becoming much more political. That’s a mistake, says Merryn Somerset Webb.
By Merryn Somerset Webb Published
-
How St Ives became St Tropez as the recovery drives prices sky high
Opinion Merryn Somerset Webb finds herself at the epicentre of Britain’s V-shaped recovery as pent-up demand flows straight into Cornwall’s restaurants and beaches.
By Merryn Somerset Webb Published
-
The real problem of Universal Basic Income (UBI)
Merryn's Blog April employment numbers showed 75 per cent fewer people in the US returned to employment compared to expectations. Merryn Somerset-Webb explains how excessive government support is causing a shortage of labour.
By Merryn Somerset Webb Published
-
Why an ageing population is not necessarily the disaster many people think it is
Opinion We’ve got used to the idea that an ageing population is a bad thing. But that’s not necessarily true, says Merryn Somerset Webb.
By Merryn Somerset Webb Published