1/ Since in the 1980s the world has experienced a “demographic dividend”.
A young population and growing workforce boosted growth and helped to keep inflation low.
But that dividend is now turning into a deficit as the global dependency ratio begins to rise again.
2/ From 1991>2018, the opening-up of China and Eastern Europe effectively doubled the labor supply available to advanced economies.
The value of exported goods as a share of global GDP jumped by 70%.
The efficiencies brought about by intl trade helped to keep inflation low.
3/ China's falling dependency ratio was particularly important. It buoyed productivity and allowed for export of cheap goods to the developed world.
Now, due to ageing, this ratio is rising again.
From 41 today, China’s dependency ratio will reach 50 by 2030, and 70 by 2050.
4/ Western populations face huge demographic headwinds as well, which will lead to a steep rise in care-intensive diseases such as dementia.
According to UN projections, the number of over-80s globally is forecast to triple between now and 2050.
5/ Why is ageing inflationary?
Workers tend to produce more than they consume – otherwise it wouldn't be profitable to employ them – while dependents such as children & the elderly tend to consume but not produce.
Our chapter references empircal studies that support the link.
6/ Demographics will serve as an important, and widely overlooked, contributor to the ongoing shift toward higher inflation in the decade ahead.
Be sure to check out our chapter “Global Demographics Turn Inflationary” here: bit.ly/3fpQEeT
Looking to get up to speed on changes taking place in the global economy and the impact they will have on #gold?
Drawing on content from our #IGWT report–including contributions from @Breedlove22 and Russell Napier–the five threads below are a good place to start.👇🧵
1/ Our report tackles the economic status quo and explains why "monetary climate change" is on its way.
This thread outlines gold’s performance over the past year, explains how this relates to macroeconomic trends, and gives our forecasts for the future.
Financial historian Russell Napier has been forecasting deflation for decades, but recent events have caused him to change his mind.
He now predicts a sustained period of higher inflation.
This thread, drawing on his recent interview with @RonStoeferle & @JilNik, explains why👇
1/ Recent debate on inflation has focussed on the impact of short-term phenomena such as the US stimulus package and economic contraction due to COVID.
But Russell sees more important changes taking place beneath the surface.
These changes are not cyclical, but structural.
2/ The impact of demographics and technology are important in forecasting inflation, but the most significant factor is the allocation of money and credit.
Inflation is always and everywhere a monetary phenomenon, and we are seeing fundamental monetary changes take place.
The Covid-19 pandemic will have profound implications for the global financial system.
Drawing on insights from our 2020 #IGWT report, this 20 tweet thread (created by @TheAustrian3) looks back at our past predictions and offers thoughts on what to expect for the decade ahead.👇
1/ At the start of the Covid-19 outbreak, remarkable things were already happening in the global economy.
The US Treasury yield curve had inverted.
A $12tn market for negative yielding government bonds had emerged, meaning governments were being paid to borrow.
2/ The attempt at monetary normalization by the Federal Reserve between 2017 and 2019 had to be reversed, as we predicted it would in our 2017 #IGWT report.
The Fed cut interest rates three times in the second half of 2019 and resumed quantitative easing.