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Inflation Rate

The inflation rate is one of the most important economic forces consistantly weighing on the value of a nation's currency. The following resources contain case studies of historical inflation rate as well as information on the relationship between the inflation rate and consumer prices.
What is Inflation?
Inflation is a rise in consumer prices, increasing the cost of living. Some inflation is caused because a country has printed too much money or experienced tremendous financial disaster, causing its currency to plummet. Other sources of inflation can be higher input or transportation costs such as gas, which makes it more expensive to ship good to the store. When the pressures get too great, retailers often pass these costs on to consumers.
Profiting from Inflation
Inflation, a term used to describe the erosion of value in purchasing power for a nation’s currency, is one of the greatest threats and dangers to your wealth and standard of living. As an investor, there are several ways you can try to lower the damage, including buying companies that earn high returns on capital and products that people need to buy to survive. No matter how bad the economy gets, people will still want to eat their regular breakfast cereal and brush their teeth.
All About Inflation - Investopedia
A seven page resource on inflation and the inflation rate. Investors will be interested in the page discussing the effect of inflation on the value of investments. Available for download in Adobe PDF format.
Case Study on the Inflation Rate
A case study of the inflation rate. The paper explains the cause of inflation, the metrics used to measure its impact on the economy, and the consumer price index.
Historic Inflation Rate Data for the United States
A table of the United States inflation rate from 1946 to 2000.
Inflation Rate 101
What is inflation? How does the inflation rate affect a nation's currency? Which inflation rate is "the right one"? Answers to these great questions and more can be found on this page.
The Forgotten Problem with Inflation
A high inflation rate presents major problems for investors. This article will teach you how to adjust current earnings for inflation in order to reach a better comparison of operating results.
The Inflation Calculator
An excellent calculator that uses historic inflation rate data to compare the value of U.S. currency between 1800 and 2001.

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