The federal fiscal year begins October 1 because budget timing, Congress, agencies, and accounting rules do not fit neatly inside a calendar year.
Category - Economics
The economics category is designed to provide students with a solid foundation in the principles and practices of economics. This category includes articles, tutorials, and resources on a range of topics, including microeconomics, macroeconomics, international economics, and more.
Akshay Dinesh
How Marginal Utility Explains Why More Is Not Always Better
Marginal utility explains why each extra slice, hour, or dollar can feel less valuable than the one before it.
How Price Floors Change Wages, Surpluses, and Markets
Price floors set a legal minimum price, changing incentives for buyers, sellers, workers, employers, and whole markets.
How Index Funds Track a Market Without Picking Stocks
Index funds follow a market benchmark by holding many securities in a rules-based way, keeping costs and manager judgment in check.
How the Bullwhip Effect Turns Small Demand Changes Into Big Swings
The bullwhip effect shows how small changes in customer demand can become bigger inventory swings across a supply chain.
How Electricity Bills Turn Kilowatt-Hours Into Monthly Costs
Electricity bills combine kWh use, fixed charges, delivery costs, supply rates, taxes, and sometimes time-of-use pricing.
Why Copper Prices Can Signal Changes in the Economy
Copper prices move with construction, electronics, power grids, and supply limits, making the metal a useful but imperfect economic signal.
How Overdraft Fees Turn Small Shortfalls Into Big Costs
Overdraft fees can turn a small checking-account shortfall into a much larger cost. Learn how they work and why timing matters.
How Parametric Insurance Pays When Disaster Triggers Are Met
Parametric insurance pays from measured triggers, not damage estimates, making some disaster payouts faster but less exact.
Why Shrinkflation Feels Harder to Spot Than Inflation
Shrinkflation raises the unit price by shrinking packages, making the change easier to miss than a visible price increase.
Why Minimum Payments Make Credit Card Debt Move Slowly
Minimum payments keep accounts current, but interest and shrinking balances can make credit card debt take much longer to repay.
How Insurance Deductibles Change the Price of Risk
Insurance deductibles change who pays first, how premiums are priced, and how households think about risk before a claim happens.
How Bank Runs Spread When Trust Breaks Down
Bank runs show how fear, liquidity, and trust can turn ordinary deposits into a fast-moving financial crisis.
Why Farmers Market Prices Change From Week to Week
Farmers market prices shift with season, weather, supply, demand, labor, and freshness in ways that make economics visible.
How Buy Now, Pay Later Can Affect Credit Reports
Buy now, pay later loans are moving closer to credit reports and scoring models, changing how small checkout payments may be seen.
