In simple terms, the word 'Inflation' refers to a growth or increase in money supply. As one of the important economic concepts, the effects of inflation exert impact both in the economic and social spheres of a nation and on its inhabitants.
Effects of Inflation:
Inflation affects both the economy of a country and its social conditions, as well as the political and moral lives of its inhabitants. However, the economic effects of Inflation are stated and described below:
- Price inflation has immense effect on the Time Value of Money (TVM). This acts as a principal component of the rates of interest, which forms the basis of all TVM calculations. The real or estimated changes occurring in the rates of inflation lead to changes in the rates of interest as well.
- Inflation exerts impact on the treasury of a nation as well. In United States of America, Treasury Inflation-protected Securities (TIPS) ensures safety to the American government, assuring the public that they will get back their money. However, the rates of interest charged by TIPS are less compared to the standard Treasury notes.
- The most immediate effect of inflation is the decrease in the purchasing power of dollar and its depreciation. Inflation influences the investments of a country. The Inflation-protected Securities (IPSs) may act as a guard against the loss in the purchasing power of the fixed-income investments (like fixed allowances and bonds), which may occur during inflation.
- Inflation changes the allocation of income. This exerts maximum effect on the lenders than the borrowers at the time of persisting inflation, because the loans sanctioned previously are paid back later in the form of inflated dollars.
- Inflation leads to a handful of the consumers in making extensive speculation, to derive advantage of the high price levels. Since some of the purchases are high-risk investments, they result in diversion of the expenditures from regular channels, giving birth to a few structural unemployments.