Inflationary Outlook Resembles Depression Era

Yesterday I remarked that current economic troubles are reminiscent of the depression era that Keynes and Hayek lived through. At that time, Keynes believed that deflation would continue indefinitely and sought actions that might prevent a deflationary spiral. Despite Keynes' brilliance, there were many factors influencing the post-World War II global economy that he failed to foresee. An influx of cheap natural resources from abroad, expanding global trade, the baby boom generation and government deficits all helped reverse the deflationary trend and create nearly constant inflation in the US ever since.

Although the US appears on the verge of recession, Americans are more concerned with hyperinflation than outright deflation. Randall Wray, an economics professor at the University of Missouri-Kansas City (and fellow Wash U alum), explains why The prospects for inflation have not been smaller since 1930. Wray is one of the top economists today promoting Modern Monetary Theory (MMT), hence his views on inflation versus deflation deserve significant attention. As Wray points out (and I have detailed previously), a primary reason Americans fear inflation relates to a misunderstanding of recent monetary policy conducted by the Federal Reserve. One cannot accurately assess the impact of quantitative easing without understanding how bank reserves function in a modern monetary system. The linked piece offers a wonderful, yet simple explanation for the casual reader.

Ultimately, inflation or deflation is about the quantity of money chasing a certain number of goods. As Wray notes, significant unemployment, declining real income and large household debt imply the direct opposite of hyper, or even high, inflation. If Wray's outlook proves true, investors currently rushing into gold and other commodities will find themselves on the wrong end of the trade. For most individuals, this prognosis should not be taken as negatively as typical news commentary would have one believe. Over the past decade, Japan's real GDP growth averaged .8% per year, despite averaging .3% deflation. During the same period, U.S. real GDP growth averaged only 1.6%, with average inflation of 1.9%. Many other factors certainly impacted economic growth, however a majority likely favor the US, rendering the minor disparity even less noteworthy.

I urge those readers concerned about inflation or considering investing in gold to read through Wray's entire piece for a different perspective. Given the struggles presently facing the global economy, hyperinflation should be the least of our concerns. Once we stop fighting the problems we don't have, policy making can return to focusing on the problems we do.



Interesting note: During the decade discussed above spanning 2001 to 2010, the Fed almost perfectly achieved its long-run inflation target of 2% (based on core PCE inflation). Even though the Fed was successful, real GDP growth over that span was the weakest experienced since the depression. The period mentioned also witnessed violent swings in prices. One personal suggestion for the future, is that our society rethinks the goals of the Federal Reserve and monetary policy.