The author, an MBA student with a computer science background, says that learning economics for the first time made them realise they had never been taught basic concepts such as inflation, supply and demand, interest rates and exchange rates, even though these shape everyday life. According to the article, these ideas show up in hotel prices, mortgage costs and imported goods, and their work running technology for microlenders and an online bookshop made the lessons concrete. Citing Namibia, the piece notes 2025 GDP growth of 1.7% and unemployment of 36.9%, while the sixth National Development Plan targets growth of 7% or more and a 75% employment rate by 2030. The author concludes that growth alone does not solve unemployment or cost-of-living pressures, so universities should help graduates understand the economy they will live and work in.
Summary written by Upside AI from the original article. Read the source for full details.
Original headline: When Graduates Leave University , They Enter the World of Economics
Read the original on namibian.com.na ↗
Keywords
inflationinterest ratesGDP growthemployment
Open a keyword to see other news on the same topic.
Related news
- Rising Costs Continue to Challenge U . S . Consumers : How Much Longer Can They Cope ?
Consumer prices in the U.S. rose again in September 2026: CPI climbed to 3.7% year-over-year from 3.4% in August, mainly driven by a 9.1% jump in gasoline prices in a single month. Core inflation also edged up from 2.4% to 2.6%. Wholesale diesel prices soared 21% in one month, and the average retail diesel price hit $6.32 per gallon by mid-October, nearly double the $3.66 a year earlier, according to AAA; experts warn that transport costs will feed into the prices of other goods. Retail sales still rose 0.8% in September, but excluding gasoline they rose only 0.2%. The labor market is showing signs of weakening: the economy added just 29,000 jobs in September versus 90,000 expected, unemployment rose to 4.2%, and inflation-adjusted weekly paychecks fell year-over-year for the first time since May. The Fed raised rates to 3.75%-4.00% in September, its first hike since 2023, and 16 of 18 officials are considering at least one more hike, while the 30-year mortgage rate reached 7.46% by mid-October.
- China's third-quarter economic growth quickens to 4.5% as exports surge, beating estimates
China's GDP grew 4.5% year on year in the third quarter, up from 4.3% in the second quarter and above the 4.4% expected in a Reuters poll, as strong foreign demand for technology goods offset weakness in property and consumption. The monthly trade surplus hit a record $133.5 billion. Still, September retail sales rose 1.1%, beating forecasts, while urban fixed-asset investment fell 7.2% in the first nine months and real estate investment dropped 20.6%, pointing to weak domestic demand. Producer prices rose 5% in September, the fastest pace in over four years, while consumer inflation stayed below 1%, limiting firms' ability to raise prices. One economist forecasts full-year growth of 4.7%, and economists largely expect the People's Bank of China to keep benchmark lending rates unchanged this year.
- FG Unveils $78.5bn Investment Plan, Targets 7% Growth – The Sun Nigeria
Nigeria returned from the 2026 IMF and World Bank Annual Meetings in Bangkok with a $78.5 billion pipeline of 65 bankable projects across energy, transport, industry, mining, agriculture, health and urban services. Finance Minister Taiwo Oyedele said the government targets 7% growth, calling the IMF’s 4.3% projection for 2027 conservative, and cited 4.4% GDP growth in the second quarter of 2026. CBN Governor Olayemi Cardoso said reforms cut inflation to 14.63% in September 2026, lifted foreign reserves above $55 billion, and banks raised N4.65 trillion in recapitalisation, over 70% from domestic investors. Fitch revised Nigeria’s outlook to positive, but Cardoso warned gains must be protected through consistent policies. Oyedele said lowering inflation and borrowing costs, now near 30%, is needed to unlock investment, and the government ruled out a return of fuel subsidies.
- China economic growth picks up as exports boom
China's third-quarter economic growth came in at 4.5%, rebounding from three-year lows and beating forecasts, as a surge in exports offset consumers' tight spending. Analysts warn that growing reliance on external drivers is deepening structural imbalances, while the property market remains in a downturn that has eroded household wealth over the past five years. Weak domestic demand has pushed firms such as Zhang Chao's motorbike headlight maker to shift toward exports, while fierce price wars are forcing companies to cut costs, including payroll. Trade surpluses with Germany and France each jumped more than 200% year-on-year in September, prompting the EU to agree to limit hybrid car exports and plan further curbs. The 5.2% unemployment rate may be flattered by the gig economy, where anyone working even one hour a week counts as employed; Societe Generale economist Michelle Lam warns that without a shift toward supporting household incomes, China risks a prolonged period of low inflation and sub-par growth.
- Two - thirds of Britons have lost faith in traditional careers | united kingdom | News
A Business Ownership Index study for BusinessesForSale.com finds 60% of UK adults believe traditional careers are less secure than before, and only 21% expect a traditional path with a single employer. The findings come as UK unemployment reached 1.78 million, a 4.9% rate, with 16 to 24-year-olds at 16.4%. Some 76% say wage growth has failed to keep pace with inflation, and 54% believe owning a business is the best way to maximise earnings, rising to 65% among 18 to 24-year-olds. Yet 54% say entrepreneurship is poorly supported, and 35% are unaware they could buy an established business rather than start one. The article's examples argue that buying an existing business can offer faster access to customers, staff and cash flow.
- US consumers withstand rising prices , but for how long ?
Rising gas prices pushed inflation higher, yet American consumers kept spending and supported economic growth. The producer price index jumped 6.3% in September from a year earlier, its biggest rise in nearly four years, with gas prices up 20% in the month and food costs up 1.2% from August. Consumer price inflation reached 3.7% in September, far above the Fed's 2% target. Retail sales rose 0.8% from August but only 0.2% excluding gas, unemployment ticked up to 4.2%, and jobless claims stayed below 200,000. Still, inflation-adjusted weekly paychecks fell from a year earlier, and most Fed officials expect another rate increase this year after it raised rates to about 3.9% in September.
Related markets
Latest news
- Duong Son Ba Arrested, Hai Phong Thermal Power Loses Lawsuit and Must Pay VND 115 Billion to Partner
Hai Phong Thermal Power (HND) disclosed an appellate ruling in a coal supply dispute with Dan Ka Mineral, under which the court accepted the plaintiff's appeal and ordered the company to pay nearly VND 115 billion, including a coal price difference of over VND 80.15 billion and interest of over VND 34.65 billion. The dispute stems from a 2021 contract, with disagreement over price adjustments after global coal prices rose sharply in 2022. Duong Son Ba, the company's general director, was arrested on 21 May 2026 over alleged forgery of documents of an agency or organisation, and the board dismissed him from the post on 13 October, with no successor yet announced. In the first half of 2026, the company reported net revenue of nearly VND 6,081 billion, up 8%, and after-tax profit of over VND 508 billion, up nearly 25%.
- Iran threatens to use the 'father of all missiles' to strike adversaries' energy facilities
Major General Mohammad Reza Naqdi, senior adviser to the IRGC commander, said at a rally in Sari on October 18 that Iran has prepared the most advanced missiles and will respond to any aggression. He warned that energy infrastructure and investments belonging to powers Tehran deems aggressive in the region could fall within Iranian missile range. His remarks answered US President Donald Trump's threat to use the GBU-43/B MOAB, often called the 'mother of all bombs' and weighing about 14 tons, against Iran's energy infrastructure and nuclear sites. Naqdi said Iran also possesses these bombs, having seized some that failed to detonate in the 12-day war, and called Trump's impatience a 'public admission of defeat'.
- Strategy on verge of golden cross, just weeks after bitcoin flashed same bullish signal
Strategy (MSTR) is about to form a golden cross, when its 50-day average rises above its 200-day average, possibly as early as Monday, just weeks after bitcoin showed the same bullish signal. The company holds $69.81 billion in bitcoin, and its stock has had two earlier golden crosses followed by big rallies: from $15.57 in September 2020 to $127.29 by February 2021, a 717% gain, and from $25.29 on March 2, 2023 to a peak of $473.83 in November 2024, up 1,774%. The article stresses the signal is unreliable, though: since 1999 MSTR has had 19 golden crosses, and only 10 were followed by a higher price 12 months later, a 50% hit rate, with a median 12-month return of just 3.3%. The two worst cases, in 2001 and 2007, were followed by a 61% loss.
- Director of the HCMC Institute of Economics, Natural Resources and Environment: Four major corporations have raised plans to invest in Vietnam, but pulled back when asked about power capacity
At a seminar co-organized by Tien Phong newspaper and the HCMC Department of Construction on October 16, TS. Phạm Viết Thuận said the city should treat infrastructure as an integrated system rather than focusing only on transport. He argued that 11 main and 13 secondary infrastructure categories, including power, water drainage, industrial zones and logistics, need to be synchronized for the city to develop its economy. To address flooding, he proposed surveying 159 flood-prone points and building ecological lakes at major spots. He also noted that four large corporations had considered investing in Vietnam but withdrew when asked about grid power capacity. Department director Trần Quang Lâm said capital mobilization and land policy need further study, while traffic congestion, flooding and pollution remain the city’s top priorities.
- Live updates: Bitcoin tags $83,000 and slips back as chip stocks lead a rebound
Bitcoin climbed from an overnight low near $80,700 to just above $83,000 early Monday, then slipped back to about $82,400 as sellers stepped in, and was up 0.3% over 24 hours. The bounce followed tech stocks, with Nasdaq 100 futures up 1.1%, snapping a weeklong 5.5% selloff, and an ETF tracking chipmakers jumping 3%. WTI crude recovered to $98.55 after touching $96.72, as the U.S. warned citizens across 12 Middle East locations of possible flight cancellations and airspace closures, raising fears of fresh strikes on Iran and disruption at the Strait of Hormuz. In Europe, the Stoxx 600 fell 0.8% after protests in France. Bitcoin would need to move through $84,000, its ceiling on October 13 and 14, to signal that the tech rebound is lifting it too.
- Baystreet . ca - When Might October Nasdaq Correction End ?
The Nasdaq Composite (QQQ ETF) is 6.96% below its 52-week high after falling 5.52% last week, close to the 10% threshold for a technical correction. The article says high oil prices, sustained by Iran's control of traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, keep September CPI and PPI rising, and that Iran wants higher oil prices to hurt the Republican Party before the midterm elections, so the correction in beaten-down stocks may continue. CoreWeave (CRWV) lost 25.21% last week, closing just 3% above its yearly low, while bears holding a 17% short float bet its $50 billion debt is unsustainable. Nebius (NBIS) fell 25% and Twilio (TWLO) dropped 15.6%, while Autodesk (ADSK), Salesforce (CRM) and Adobe (ADBE) drew buying. The article suggests volatility may ease after the midterms.
Get the briefing on Telegram or Zalo
Join the Upside Telegram channel or Zalo group for the Vietnam stocks and gold briefing at 8:00 and 19:00 (Vietnam time) on trading days, plus a weekly wrap on Saturday morning.