Everything You Need To Know About Inflation And More

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Americans have been paying a lot more for everyday items, like food, in the past year (Credit: Th78blue/ CC BY-SA 4/0/ Wikimedia Commons)

You may have heard your parents complain about the rising costs of everything from groceries to gas, clothes, electronics, and even cars. They are not wrong. From March 2021 to March 2022, consumer prices for food rose by 8.8 percent, while energy costs went up 32 percent. The rate of increase in prices over a given period of time is called inflation.

What causes inflation?

Inflation can be caused by many factors. Sometimes it is due to the rising cost of raw materials, which makes the end product more expensive to manufacture. It can also be caused by employees asking for higher salaries. That's because companies typically make up for the increased cost by raising prices.

The current inflation is believed to be the result of the pent-up demand for goods and services once consumers emerged from the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Some experts believe the COVID-19 relief measures, which added $817 billion to American households in 2020, also contributed to the increase in demand. Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which led to a spike in energy prices, made things even worse.

"The biggest factor driving up inflation has been extraordinarily strong demand, as consumers have more money in their bank accounts, lower interest rates to borrow at stronger stock prices, and a lot of money they saved up because they didn't spend much in 2020," Jason Furman, a professor of practice at Harvard University and a former top economic advisor to President Barack Obama, said.

"That's been exacerbated more recently by things like the higher oil prices due to [Russian President Vladimir] Putin's invasion of Ukraine," Furman added.

Is inflation always harmful?

The slow and steady price increases, like the one the US and other countries have been experiencing for over 20 years, are beneficial to the economy. They help money keep its value. Low inflation also makes it easier for companies to plan long-term spending because they can accurately predict the costs in the years ahead.

The US is not the only country experiencing high inflation in 2022 (Credit: Statista/ CC-By-SA-2.0)

But the same is not true about the runaway inflation we are currently experiencing. The higher costs would make it increasingly difficult for people to buy things they need and want. As sales slow down, companies are forced to make tough decisions, like laying off employees and delaying expansion plans. If left unchecked, high inflation could result in a severe economic slowdown, or recession.

What can the US government do to slow down inflation?

The first step to slowing runaway inflation is curbing consumer demand. The US Federal Reserve is trying to do that by raising interest rates, which were slashed to zero in 2020. The officials have thus far announced two increases totaling 75 basis points. Five additional rate hikes are forecast for this year. The higher interest rates make it more expensive for individuals and companies to borrow money and help cut down on their spending. They should, at least in theory, reduce demand, slow down the economy, and lower inflation to more normal levels.

"It's our job to make sure that inflation of that unpleasant high nature doesn't get entrenched in the economy," Fed Chair Jerome H. Powell said at a news conference on May 4, 2022. "The process of getting there involves higher rates — higher mortgage rates and higher borrowing rates, things like that. It's not going to be pleasant either, but in the end, everyone is better off — everyone. Particularly people on fixed incomes and at the lower part of the income distribution are better off with stable prices."

The Fed's effort will take some time. Meanwhile, the White House is trying to provide consumers immediate relief from high gasoline prices by releasing some of the country's strategic oil reserves. They may even temporarily stop collecting federal gas tax. The officials have also warned oil and gas companies to not keep prices artificially high for American consumers.

"If gas retailers' costs are going down, they need to immediately pass those savings on to consumers," former White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters on May 4, 2022. "The invasion of Ukraine and the volatility in the oil market is no excuse for excessive price increases, profit padding, or any effort to exploit American consumers."

Hopefully, the combined efforts will help reverse the rapidly rising inflation before it is too late.

Resources: Theeconomist.com, www.clevelandfed.org, abcnews.go,com, Qz.com

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43 Comments
  • iceyqueen
    iceyqueen18 days
    I live in California and it's about 6 dollars a gallon!
    • iceyqueen
      iceyqueen18 days
      Wow, things are just getting more and more expensive. (sigh)
      • savannahwatts
        This is just sad, wow
        • thegretest21
          thegretest215 months
          10000 dollars to 100 dollars. Imagine. And so sad.
          • iamsilenced
            iamsilenced10 months
            This is sad
            • lu_450
              lu_45010 months
              If you feel bad about 9% of Inflation remember my country has 51,7% and its on the top 3 of countries with most. Prices increased every month.
              • adroit_avimimus
                This is pretty scary, since it's been a long time since costs have spiked this much.. Hopefully it gets better soon
                • summer_beach
                  summer_beach12 months
                  How much dose gas cost where you live? It costs over $4.00 in Missouri USA
                  • victoria_wise
                    victoria_wise12 months
                    Eekkk. I think Biden has to do some thing.
                  • olulu
                    olulu12 months
                    Let's hope that the Russia-Ukraine war ends soon, hopefully with a peace treaty, so that prices can go down again. From all that I have heard, all these complaints are because of Putin. Who knew one person could create such a big impact?