Lesson summary: The costs of inflation (article) | Khan Academy (2024)

In this lesson summary review and remind yourself of the key terms and calculations used in describing the costs of inflation.

Want to join the conversation?

Log in

  • Eileen Preston

    6 years agoPosted 6 years ago. Direct link to Eileen Preston's post “What about producers of p...”

    What about producers of products. You produce apples. You sell them. Inflation went up so what does that mean for the producer - will he make more money because apples cost more than the year before?

    (6 votes)

    • melanie

      6 years agoPosted 6 years ago. Direct link to melanie's post “If by "make more" you mea...”

      Lesson summary: The costs of inflation (article) | Khan Academy (4)

      If by "make more" you mean profit, well, that depends. In the short run, an apple producer might benefit from inflation because some of their costs don't change. For example, suppose you hire workers at $10 per hour on a one-year contract. Midway through the year there is inflation so the price of apples increases. IN that case, yes, you might benefit from inflation. In fact, you would even respond to that inflation by producing more.

      But, in the long run, those workers will eventually want higher wages because of inflation. Once all of those costs have also adjusted, the producer doesn't benefit at all any more.

      This is actually covered in a later lesson on something called "Short-run aggregate supply".

      (14 votes)

  • Victor Parmar

    5 years agoPosted 5 years ago. Direct link to Victor Parmar's post “I still did not quite ful...”

    I still did not quite fully understand why 0 inflation, i.e., no change, is a bad thing. Shouldn't this be the ideal goal?

    (4 votes)

  • Patrik Leskovsek

    4 years agoPosted 4 years ago. Direct link to Patrik Leskovsek's post “Game of Thrones question ...”

    Game of Thrones question number 2? :D

    (6 votes)

  • 😊

    5 years agoPosted 5 years ago. Direct link to 😊's post “what is the effect of a r...”

    what is the effect of a rise in unexpected inflation by 5% on the following people; 1 a union member with a wage contract
    2.someone with a large stash of cash in safe deposit
    3.a bank lending money at a fixed interest rate
    4.a person who is not due to receive a pay raise for another 11 months

    (4 votes)

    • JHW624

      9 months agoPosted 9 months ago. Direct link to JHW624's post “My view:⭐Union member wi...”

      My view:
      ⭐Union member with a wage contract: It depends. If the contract includes cost-of-living adjustments or clauses that link wages to inflation, the individual may see their wages increase in response to higher inflation. However, if the contract does not account for unexpected inflation, the purchasing power of their wages may decline, as their income fails to keep up with the rising prices.

      ⭐Individual with a large stash of cash in a safe deposit: As prices rise, the purchasing power of cash diminishes.

      ⭐Bank lending money at a fixed interest rate: The borrower benefits because they are repaying the loan with money that has lower purchasing power due to inflation.

      ⭐Person not due to receive a pay raise for another 11 months: They might experience a decrease in real wages until their next scheduled pay raise, which is 11 months later.

      Hope that helps :)

      (2 votes)

  • Malko_28

    4 years agoPosted 4 years ago. Direct link to Malko_28's post “"Unexpected inflation arb...”

    "Unexpected inflation arbitrarily redistributes wealth from one group to another group, such as from borrowers to lenders."
    This confuses me, as from what I understand, inflation is bad for lenders and good for borrowers... Is this a mistake or a mistype, or have I misunderstood? Thanks!

  • Ethan Lin

    5 years agoPosted 5 years ago. Direct link to Ethan Lin's post “What's the difference in ...”

    What's the difference in fixed rates and variable rate and who does it help or hurt?

    (3 votes)

  • devcdesai

    6 years agoPosted 6 years ago. Direct link to devcdesai's post “It is repeatedly stated t...”

    It is repeatedly stated that 'deflation has devastating effects'. What exactly are the devastating effects? Can someone explain with example? If prices are lesser, people will simply have to borrow lesser, won't that be a good thing?

    (2 votes)

    • Christina

      4 years agoPosted 4 years ago. Direct link to Christina's post “Well prices drop because ...”

      Well prices drop because firms are forced to sell for whatever reason, if they need to liquidate it is likely production will slow as well. possibly even lay off many resulting in high unemployment

      (2 votes)

  • SussannahY

    4 years agoPosted 4 years ago. Direct link to SussannahY's post “Hi I need some help under...”

    Hi I need some help understanding why this answer is correct.

    QUESTION: "Ygritte loaned Mance $900 He agreed to repay her in full, plus 6%percent interest, after one year. When he pays off his loan, Mance discovers he is better off than he had expected to be. Which of the following best describes what must have happened to the rate of inflation?

    ANSWER: "Inflation was higher than he expected
    If the rate of inflation is higher than he expected it to be, then Mance is effectively paying Ygritte back less than he thought he would be paying her."

    I thought if inflation is higher than he expected, it means he pays MORE because a higher inflation % multiplied by his loan = a higher value in total to pay?

    (2 votes)

    • Eirian

      4 years agoPosted 4 years ago. Direct link to Eirian's post “The interest may be fixed...”

      The interest may be fixed. When the inflation rose, what that 6% was worth less than expected. This doesn't mean the amount was changed--only its REAL worth was. Hope this helps!

      (1 vote)

  • Anastasiia Yarychkivska

    4 years agoPosted 4 years ago. Direct link to Anastasiia Yarychkivska's post “Is the "Interest rate" ac...”

    Is the "Interest rate" actually the anticipated rate of inflation?

    (2 votes)

    • Omar Eldesouky

      a year agoPosted a year ago. Direct link to Omar Eldesouky's post “No, although inflation is...”

      No, although inflation is often one of the factors that central banks consider when setting interest rates

      (1 vote)

  • Nathaniel234

    2 years agoPosted 2 years ago. Direct link to Nathaniel234's post “1. If all prices increase...”

    1. If all prices increased at the same rate (i.e., no relative price changes), would inflation have any redistributive effects?

    (1 vote)

    • JHW624

      9 months agoPosted 9 months ago. Direct link to JHW624's post “No, if all prices increas...”

      No, if all prices increased at the same rate without any relative price changes, inflation would not have redistributive effects. In this scenario, the increase in prices would affect everyone uniformly, and the relative purchasing power and wealth distribution among individuals or groups would remain unchanged.

      Hope that helps :)

      (2 votes)

Lesson summary: The costs of inflation (article) | Khan Academy (2024)
Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Foster Heidenreich CPA

Last Updated:

Views: 5925

Rating: 4.6 / 5 (56 voted)

Reviews: 95% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Foster Heidenreich CPA

Birthday: 1995-01-14

Address: 55021 Usha Garden, North Larisa, DE 19209

Phone: +6812240846623

Job: Corporate Healthcare Strategist

Hobby: Singing, Listening to music, Rafting, LARPing, Gardening, Quilting, Rappelling

Introduction: My name is Foster Heidenreich CPA, I am a delightful, quaint, glorious, quaint, faithful, enchanting, fine person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.