Prices are rising and not just at the gas station. With our economy in a bit of an uproar and many uncertainties… prices are going up in many sectors. This general price increase is known as inflation.
While most people understand that inflation means the prices of things we buy is increasing, there is actually a lot more to this concept. As an economic factor, inflation is caused by an increase in the amount of money and/or credit in relation to the amount of goods and services. It is a balancing act that occurs naturally in any economy. As the ability to buy increases (due to more money and credit available), and the supply of things to buy is steady or decreases, the prices will rise. It is the basics of supply and demand.
Understanding how inflation works it key to understanding the impact it will have on your life. Obviously if inflation is high, the purchasing power of your dollar has dropped. Therefore, we all feel poorer with the same amount of money. Inflation will also affect how the dollar compares to other country’s currency, creating an impact on imports and exports as well as the travel market.
Our government watches this inflation closely. There are things they can do to affect the prices of goods and services as well as the value of the dollar. One major factor is the Federal Reserves control over the interest rate. This strongly affects the credit market. The government can make more money or enable the opportunity for more credit. Both of these factors affect us in our ability to buy more, however they also affect inflation. Once again, this is a balancing act played out in our economy. The government needs to ensure that the amount of money and/or credit in circulation isn’t too much either.
Watch how the economy fluctuates with these factors. Learn these details and you can better understand (and predict) how our markets will change.
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