1. Chapter Four 1
Inflation is an increase in the average level of prices, and a price
is the rate at which money is exchanged for a good or service.
Here is a great illustration of the power of inflation:
In 1970, the New York Times cost 15 cents, the median price of a
single-family home was $23,400, and the average wage in
manufacturing was $3.36 per hour. In 2008, the Times cost
$1.50, the price of a home was $183,300, and the average wage
was $19.85 per hour.
10. Chapter Four 10
Measuring Inflation
• Types of Price Indexes
• Depending upon the selected set of goods
and services used, multiple types of baskets
of goods are calculated and tracked as price
indexes. Most commonly used price indexes
are the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and the
Wholesale Price Index (WPI).
13. Chapter Four 13
Measuring Inflation
• Calculating CPI
CPI = weighted current price x 100
weighted base period price
Example = $3.00 (loaf of bread in 2017) X 100
$1.32 (loaf of bread in 1983)
CPI 2017 = 227.3
14. Chapter Four 14
The Wholesale Price Index
• The WPI is another popular measure of
inflation, which measures and tracks the
changes in the price of goods in the stages
before the retail level. While WPI items
vary from one country to other, they mostly
include items at the producer or wholesale
level. For example, it includes cotton prices
for raw cotton, cotton yarn, cotton gray
goods, and cotton clothing.
15. Chapter Four 15
The Producer Price Index
• The producer price index is a family of
indexes that measures the average change in
selling prices received by domestic
producers of intermediate goods and
services over time. The PPI measures price
changes from the perspective of the seller
and differs from the CPI which measures
price changes from the perspective of the
buyer.
16. Chapter Four 16
The Formula for Measuring
Inflation
• The above-mentioned variants of price indexes can be used to calculate the
value of inflation between two particular months (or years). While a lot of
ready-made inflation calculators are already available on various financial
portal and websites, it is always better to be aware of the underlying
methodology to ensure accuracy with a clear understanding of the calculations.
Mathematically,
• Percent Inflation Rate = (Final CPI Index Value/Initial CPI Value)*100
17. Chapter Four 17
Inflation Rate—the monthly or
yearly % change in prices.
– The CPI is a tool that is used to calculate
Ex.Inflation rate= (CPI year – CPI year B) x 100
CPI year B
Ex.Inflation Rate 145 – 140 x 100 = 3.57
140
Inflation Rate 3.57%