The Free Market Center
Inflation and Deflation
How the artificial expansion (and contraction)
of the money supply damages the economy.
The artificial expansion of the money supply acts as one of the most damaging influences on an economy. Money, which plays the role of an medium of indirect exchange, provides critical information—via money prices—to all actors in the economic system. Any artificial change in the supply of money distorts that information. As a result economic actors make rational decisions based on flawed information.
Because these artificial changes in the supply of money do not affect all segments of the economy uniformly, they do, ironically, have a broad-based effect on the economy. Because of these artificial changes in the money supply cause rising (or falling) money prices that do not reflect real changes in resource supplies, economic actors inadvertently shift resources to less effective and less efficient uses.
This section of the The Free Market Center provides a background on the influence of money inflation on the mis-allocation of resources. This mis-allocation causes what many referred to as malinvestment – investments made in the wrong place and in the wrong time. Malinvestments causes increased production in one segment of the economy that consumers do not need while at the same time reducing production in areas of the economy that consumers do need.
Click the link below and proceed to the presentation explaining the causes and influence of money inflation (and money deflation.)
Note: This page provides a brief description of the complex subject of monetary manipulation. This presentation will require focused attention to fully comprehend. I encourage you to spend the time—now or in the future—to study the full presentation.
I will provide a more detailed summary in the future.
Proceed to the Introduction of "Inflation and Deflation."
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