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One of many myths being endlessly repeated on this inflationary cycle is the parable that rising costs are brought on by greed.
For instance, Democratic senator Bob Casey is operating round Pennsylvania campaigning on the concept whereas claiming he’ll clear up the issue in the event you re-elect him. Kamala Harris is doing the identical.
However the truth that greed doesn’t trigger inflation is clear if we simply ask why costs throughout the board have surged since 2020. Since then, client costs rose greater than twenty %, knocking off a few fourth of the worth of each greenback you maintain.
Is that each one as a result of greed instantly received worse after 2020 for some unknown motive? And, in that case, why is it that greed was magically barely an issue in any respect for a few years over the last decade when official CPI inflation charges typically got here in between 1 and a pair of %?
There is no such thing as a rationalization for this greed thesis, and the reason being that there’s solely one reason for typically rising costs— the factor we may name value inflation. The one reason for that is financial inflation—that’s, a rising cash provide. Or, as generally said extra casually: printing new cash.
So, if the query is why did we see the patron value index go up by greater than 20 % over the previous 4 years—with dwelling costs rising by 50 % and wages not maintaining? The reply is that the central banks actually created trillions of latest {dollars} throughout that interval. (Once we say they “printed” this cash, we don’t imply they bodily printed it, though they often do. Once we say the central financial institution “printed money, we mean the central bank created new money out of nothing.)
Recall how during the covid lockdowns, the government was paying people to stay home and not work. Where did this money come from? The central bank printed it. There was not money to be had from the Treasury, of course, as the federal government itself was already running huge deficits.
The central bank created so much new money in fact, that the money supply has increased by 32 percent since early 2020. And nearly one quarter of all the dollars that are out there right now, were created since then. These are astounding numbers.
And, we can go back further than that. You want to know why stock prices and real estate prices have been going up so relentlessly for more than ten years? It’s because since 2009, when we began the age of quantitative easing, the money supply is up by 185 percent.
For many years, the monetary inflation appeared primarily as rising prices in assets like housing. That’s why CPI inflation seemed “low” for a very long time between 2010 and 2020. However, finally, the piper have to be paid for relentless financial growth of the sort we’ve skilled since 2009. The frenzy of cash creation that occurred since 2020—and the rising costs that adopted—have made this clear.
[Read More: “Money-Supply Growth Accelerates as Wall Street Demands Even More Easy Money“ by Ryan McMaken]
After all, politicians at the moment are making an attempt to have it each methods. First, they’re claiming that there isn’t a lot value inflation at all, and Bidenomics already solved that by some means.
On the identical factor they’re saying that sure, there’s value inflation, however it’s the fault of grasping companies who’re making an attempt to price-gouge you.
Neither of those claims are true, although.
Costs aren’t falling, and even flat. By the federal government’s measure, meals now prices 26 % greater than it did solely 4 years in the past. And costs nonetheless rising. Final month, the feds’ personal measure mentioned there was 3 % progress within the CPI. That’s 3 % on prime of all the opposite will increase of latest years. And, the farther down you might be on the financial ladder, the decrease the chances your revenue has come near maintaining with that. In the meantime, dwelling costs have risen far past the CPI measure.
After which there’s that different declare that if there’s any value inflation in any respect, it’s all brought on by greed.
But, the true reason for rising costs is true in entrance of us. It’s 15 years of cash printing to bail out banks that began again in 2009. And on prime of this, we received much more of that newly printed COVID cash.
The issue will not be greed, it’s the expansion within the cash provide.
Its elected officers and their pals who CAUSED this drawback, in fact, however they definitely aren’t going to let you know that.
Value inflation is NEVER brought on by greed. It’s at all times brought on by a rising cash provide. The cash provide has grown big-time since 2020, and now we pay much more for meals and housing. Extra: https://t.co/4tJNgoq1Th pic.twitter.com/s5g5bDiKz4
— Ryan McMaken (@ryanmcmaken) August 30, 2024
