

Daily new case numbers in France and Spain are higher than they were measured to be in the spring. So a second wave of Coronavirus is hitting Europe. So that was Boris Johnson clearly raising concerns about the potential for increasing COVID cases and the potential to have to reinstitute lockdowns. I've always said schools and colleges should only ever be shut again as a very, very last resort. By bearing down on social contact or contact and improving enforcement, we can keep schools and businesses open in the knowledge that they are covid secure. The whole point of them is to avoid a second national lockdown. This is not … these measures are not another national lockdown. But first with kids back at school and winter approaching? Naturally, Boris Johnson and a number of other leaders have come out with serious concerns about the outlook for COVID as we face ever more challenging approaches to policy, And then we're going to jump into the latest debate that's been raging between economists and investors alike, should we be worried about inflation taking off. Today we're going to be looking at how COVID-19 might affect policy and the economy as we go into winter. Today, Paul and I are joined by Jeremy Lawson, who's the head of our research institute here at Aberdeen standard investments, and our chief economist. And alongside my co-host, Paul Diggle, we're going to be guiding you through the complex world of economics, policy, politics and markets at a time of really unusually high uncertainty. I'm a political economist here at Aberdeen standard investments. Hi, and welcome to this edition of macro matters.

Transcript: Macro Matters – episode 2 – a cold, COVID winter ahead? Once you've had a listen, if you'd like to continue the conversation, why not head over to our LinkedIn page, where you can find the podcast posting - we'd love to hear from you. You can simply click the link below, or if you'd like to subscribe and get a notification of each new podcast as it comes, just search for Aberdeen Standard on your podcast provider of choice. Please join us as we leave no Covid or inflation stone unturned. Clue: we think worries about inflation rising out of control are overblown - but you'll have to listen in to hear the rest. Our lead topic is the cheery prospect of a cold, Covid winter - are further lockdowns on the horizon, and how much more can the economy can take? We leaven this with a lively discussion on inflation, and ask whether the crisis will have inflationary or disinflationary consequences. This week, our regular presenters, Paul Diggle (Senior Economist) and Stephanie Kelly (Senior Political Economist) are joined by someone they know very well - our Chief Economist, Jeremy Lawson. Welcome to Macro Matters, our weekly podcast of macroeconomic and political insights and discussion from Aberdeen Standard Investments' Research Institute.
