Is Deflation set to rise?

January 17, 2009 · Filed Under CPI Inflation, Economic News 

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Inflation seems dead in the leading world economies with the US announcing that inflation grew at it’s slowest price since 1954.  The falling inflation rate leads to fears that deflation, one of the most feared concerns for financial watchers is set to re-appear.

Japan have been struck with deflation on and off for the best part of 20 years and the Japanese market has not reached anywhere near it’s highs of the late 1980s.  With consumer prices falling heavily along with the price of oil driving the price of goods and services lower the leading world economies could soon be looking over their shoulder at the rise of deflation.

Deflation is an economy destroyer and not only destroys confidence but can lead an economy into a very deep recession or even a depression with the price of goods tomoorow being cheaper than today.  This flows through into job cuts and lack of wage increases.  It slowly tears out the heart of the economy. 

If your looking at the impact of deflation in the economy then closely look at the impact it has had on Japan in the last 20 years.  On the surface Japan may not look to be that bad but the damage deflation has done to the psyche of the economy is stark.

Let’s hope we are not seeing the signs of deflation emerging in the global economy.

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