Inflation (Macroeconomics)

Inflation is a term that is thrown around a lot, so therefore it's a well known term. However, i'll still write this post to add some details and other information.

Inflation is defined as a rise in the general level of prices over a period of time. It is measured using The Harmonized Index of Consumer Prices (HICP). It measures the average weighted increase in the prices of a typical basket of goods. Inflation was previously measured using the Retail Price Index (RPI).

Inflation can be caused by either demand-pull or cost-push factors. Demand-pull inflation occurs when there has been an increase in the level of demand in an economy - basically there are too many people chasing too few goods. This is illustrated by a rightward shift of the AD curve on an aggregate demand/supply graph.

The other type of inflation, cost-push inflation, is caused by firms raising their prices because of increased wage costs, cost of raw materials or components. Basically, anything that makes production more expensive and causes the firms to raise prices. This type of inflation may be down to imported inflation, which is when we import from abroad a good that's price has risen because of inflation in the country it came from.

To summarize: Inflation is when prices of goods rise over time, caused by either demand-pull or cost-push factors. That is all, in brief.

Thanks for reading.