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INDEX: A measure of the relative average of a group of items compared to a given base value. Index measures are commonly used in economics to combine and compare diverse measures. One common type of index measure is for prices, such as the Consumer Price Index and the Dow Jones Industrial Average of corporate stock prices. Another noted type of index measure is to track macroeconomic activity, especially the index leading economic indicators. Indexes are usually weighted averages rather than simple arithmetic means that are measured relative to a base value or period. The Consumer Price Index, for example, measures the prices of consumer good, weighted by the quantities purchased. The value of a given period is then stated relative to a base year value, which generates a pure, "unitless" number in the range of 100 (give or take).
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                           DEFLATION: A persistent decrease in the average price level in the economy. This is the direct opposite of inflation, a persistent increase in the average price level. Like inflation, deflation occurs when the AVERAGE price level decreases over time. While some prices might decrease, other prices could increase or remain unchanged, deflation occurs if the AVERAGE follows a downward trend. Another related phenomenon is disinflation, a decrease in the inflation rate. Deflation is a rare phenomenon indeed in the economy and typically happens during prolonged periods of (1) contractionary stagnation or (2) technological-induced expansion. Deflation could appear during a fairly lengthy recession or occasional depression, when aggregate demand has dried up substantially. With no one buying goods, producers reduce prices and deflation results. Deflation also can emerge during expansionary periods driven by significant technological advances, when the economy has the ability to provide more production at lower cost. Following declining production cost, the price level also falls and the result is deflation.While lower prices might seem like an unqualified plus for the economy, such is not always the case. A lower price does mean that the purchasing power of money and income is greater and that the cost of living is less. This is a good thing. However, deflation can create uncertainty and a haphazard redistribution of income just like inflation. - Uncertainty: First, deflation creates uncertainty just like inflation. If prices unexpectedly decline, then consumers and producers alike might be less willing to pursue long-term activities, because they just do not know what will happen to the price level.
- Haphazard Redistribution: Second, deflation can haphazardly redistribute income and wealth just like inflation. If some prices decrease more than others, then income and wealth is redistributed to the owners of those resources with the smaller price decreases.
In the same way that inflation results when the aggregate demand for production persistently exceeds the aggregate supply of production, deflation occurs when the aggregate demand for production persistently falls short of the aggregate supply of production. While a number of factors can trigger such an imbalance, persistent deflation is only possible in the long run if the money supply declines.
Recommended Citation:DEFLATION, AmosWEB Encyclonomic WEB*pedia, http://www.AmosWEB.com, AmosWEB LLC, 2000-2024. [Accessed: July 26, 2024].
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Today, you are likely to spend a great deal of time at a going out of business sale looking to buy either a bookshelf that will fit in your closet or a birthday greeting card for your grandfather. Be on the lookout for mail order catalogs with hidden messages.
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Post WWI induced hyperinflation in German in the early 1900s raised prices by 726 million times from 1918 to 1923.
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"Old age isn't so bad when you consider the alternative. " -- Cato, Roman orator
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ATC
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