This article covers inflation in the UK and how it has come to a point where the minimum wage is no longer high enough to cover the standard costs of living. So, politicians are now struggling to raise the minimum wage level, ithout harming the economy.
This article covers a decrease in China's rate of inflation (disinflation, especially in regard to the prices for groceries. It also mentions that Chna 'may be reaching a new normal of growth'.
Interestingly enough, the EU has not responded to the decrease in CPI that has occurred over the last few months. Unemployment remains at 12.1%, while inflation continues to drop. This could provide some interesting analysis of the EU's Philips Curve...
After the United States supported Israel in the "Yom Kippur" war, the Arab members of OPEC (Organization of Petrol Exporting Countries) announced an oil embargo with the US, where they would charge 70% more. In 1973, at the time of this restriction of oil, the OPEC was globally known as a large oil producer. This caused a shortage of oil, thus shifting the "supply curve" to the left, while the demand curve stayed constant. With this low supply, and constant demand, oil became a scarce good. In order to reach market clearance, or equilibrium, prices increased drastically. From $3 per barrel in 1971, to almost $40 per barrel in 1980. The shift in oil supply resulted in an increase in transportation costs. In order to compensate for the high oil prices, the Government of the United States increased domestic prices, thus increasing inflation. This inflation eventually led to relatively lower oil prices.
This article discussed how inflation has affected different factors in the Australian economy. It also talks about how their living standards are increasing, although the costs are increasing too.
In this article it talks about the issues of supply of gold. Over time a lot of mines have been emptied and now there is a problem that the product will become scarce and gold prices will increase drastically. since there is not very much gold circling around different mines, there is less to be found. The problem is also that the economy is increasing, new mines are made and people have to be trained in mining and some specialized gold makers moved to these new gold mining cities. The average of needed gold in the world is estimated to increase 6% by 2016 which is a lot. A lot of the pure gold has been mined and the not so pure gold is not as profitable.