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Inflation Inflation is defined, in the dictionary, as a persistent, substantial rise in the general level of prices related to an increase in the volume of money and resulting in the loss of value of currency. Inflation may seem like a bad thing, but it can also be a good thing at times too. It all just depends on the situation. There are also a few common causes of inflation such as increases in the cost of business and scarcity. Increases in the cost of business are one of the factors that cause inflation. If it costs more money to make a product, the price for the product will ultimately go up. Say the government levies a new tax on business that requires them to pay a certain amount each year. The cost of business then goes up for the company and they raise the prices of their product to make up for the loss in revenue. Another example would be if the employers decide to give their employees raises. This also increases their cost of business and in response, the company would pass the extra costs onto the consumers. Scarcity is another reason why inflation occurs. If the resources for a product are in limited supply, then the price of that product will increase to make up for lack of production ability. Take tomato farmers for example; if a severe drought or swarms of pests destroy half of their crops, there will be less tomatoes available on the market, therefore driving prices up. Another example would be if a record company puts out 30,000 copies of a new CD and 150,000 people want to buy it. The demand for that product is greater than the supply and the prices will be raised due to the scarcity of that product. Most results of inflation will be negative. Some of these results include uncertainty in the stock market which leads to the loss of investments and lower international competitiveness. Inflation also causes a decline in the value of the

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