The past few years have been marked by two economic trends that have affected pretty much everyone on the planet.
The first is the cost of living crisis that followed the Covid pandemic and was made worse by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. That saw prices in the shops soar - in many countries they rose by their fastest pace for four decades.
The attempt to stamp out this inflation is the second of those big economic trends, as central banks aggressively increased the cost of borrowing. Millions of households and businesses saw the cost of home and company loans shoot up.
But the action taken by central banks does seem to have worked in curbing inflation, and now financial markets predict that interest rates in the United States and Europe will be cut this year. But will they reduce them soon?
(Picture: Federal Reserve Building in Washington, DC, United States. Credit: Getty Images)
Presented and produced by Rob Young
The market for military memorabilia
The boss of Africa's biggest bank
Cost of living: Dresden, Germany
Cost of living: Hospitality
Cost of living: Housing
Cost of living: Childcare
Cost of living: Transport
The resurgence of vinyl records
Long Covid and work
The nappy problem
Why does India have so many female pilots?
Tackling the global food crisis in 2023
Why is Nashville a magnet for entrepreneurs?
China's Covid nightmare: Can Beijing bounce back?
The return to burning wood
Who is Jack Ma?
Business and conscription in Russia
Women, sport and business: Making NBA history
Women, sport and business: Betting
Women, sport and business: Media deals
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
The emPOWERed Half Hour
Global News Podcast
The Infinite Monkey Cage
Friday Night Comedy from BBC Radio 4
You’re Dead to Me
Elis James and John Robins