Generic Economic/Finance Question Thread

[NCR85]

Just a thread for any questions members might have about economics/finance related topics. I'll kick this off with some of my own:

- Is there anyone who has done extensive research on the off-balance sheet guarantees that the federal reserve (and ECB) provides to private banks? any useful information sources on this topic?

- Is there numerical data anywhere on how much debt of certain maturation ranges there exist in certain economies across post-war history? Ideally I'd like to see a graph similar to those sectorial debt-to-GDP graphs where you can see financial sector, business sector, federal sector, etc, debt to GDP as it develops over time. Instead I want such a graph for short term debt (0-2 years), medium term debt (2-10 years) and long term debt (10+ years). Is anything like this available anywhere?

- If someone wants to create a computer program to analyze and display financial market data with, where does s/he get the real-time updated stream of data from?

[NCR85]

Re: Generic Economic/Finance Question Thread

Another question:
- we've all seen the graphs of rising tuition costs at US colleges, but is this trend also taking place in European and other social-democratic economies where tertiary education is largely state financed? I know the student doesn't suffer ramping up tuition costs there, but does the government incur such costs instead?

- are costs also ramping up for associate degrees and apprenticeships? I think this article suggests not so: http://www.gurufocus.com/news/211522...-for-your-kids ( "the costs are WAY lower. A degree from a private university costs on average $172,000. According to the College Board, the average cost of a two-year associate's degree is $6,262.")

[EasternBelle]

Re: Generic Economic/Finance Question Thread

Generally tuition fees in Europe are low (exc. UK, where most universities now charge £9000 per year). See e.g.
http://www.studyineurope.eu/tuition-fees
EasternBelle

[NCR85]

Re: Generic Economic/Finance Question Thread

True, but that's just the part that the student pays. I'm curious about the total costs, including the government's share. Is it and has it been rising as fast as in the US, or not?

[NCR85]

Re: Generic Economic/Finance Question Thread

Another important question: in purchasing power parity comparisons between the GDP of different nations, are differences in healthcare and education costs accounted for in the purchasing power adjustments? Or is it just consumer prices that are compared?