Definition: Shrinkflation occurs when firms reduce the size or quantity of a good and keep prices the same. Shrinkflation is an alternative to increasing prices, and you could argue it is a disguised form of inflation because if you wanted to buy exactly the same quantity of the good, you would have to spend relatively …
Readers Question: What are the advantages and disadvantages of inflation? The Government have an inflation target of CPI 2%. This suggests they would rather have moderate inflation than no inflation at all. Advantages of Inflation Deflation is potentially very damaging to the economy and can lead to lower consumer spending and lower growth. For example, …
In the UK and US there is often a mistrust of the government’s inflation figures. People often feel that their cost of living is rising faster than official CPI statistics. In developing countries like Venezuela and Argentina, there is even greater mistrust as government’s have an incentive to modify inflation rates and have the power …
Readers question: What is the difference between tax and inflation? Tax is a way for the government to raise revenue. It includes charges placed by the government on goods/income. For example, VAT is a tax which means consumers have to pay an additional 20% of the price in the form of tax which goes to …
An inflation target means the Central Bank has the objective to use monetary policy in order to keep inflation close to an agreed level (e.g. 2%) If inflation is forecast to rise above the target, they are likely to increase interest rates to moderate demand and slow down inflationary pressures. If the Central Bank is …
The aim is to measure how consumers’ purchasing power is affected by rising prices. There are three main steps to measuring inflation Give a weighting to the importance of different goods to the typical basket of goods. Measure the change in price Convert into the index – multiplying the weight by the price change. Steps …
Should the government be concerned if the CPI rises to 5%? Costs of Inflation The Government set the MPC a target for CPI of 2.% +/-1. It believes inflation higher than 3.0% is potentially damaging to the economy. Decline in relative competitiveness. If inflation in the UK is higher than elsewhere, then UK goods will …
Readers Question: It has been suggested in a philosophy/economics class that I am taking that given the current state of income inequality between the 1% and 99%, that a period of stagflation might be an effective equalizer. I don’t see it. Any thoughts? Stagflation is a period of negative economic growth (or very low growth) …