What are the main causes of inflation?
Inflation is a sustained rise in the general price level. Inflation can come from both the demand and the supply-side of an economy
- Inflation can arise from internal and external events
- Some inflationary pressures direct from the domestic economy, for example the decisions of utility businesses providing electricity or gas or water on their tariffs for the year ahead, or the pricing strategies of the food retailers based on the strength of demand and competitive pressure in their markets.
- A rise in the rate of VAT would also be a cause of increased domestic inflation in the short term because it increases a firm's production costs.
- Inflation can also come from external sources, for example a sustained rise in the price of crude oil or other imported commodities, foodstuffs and beverages.
- Fluctuations in the exchange rate can also affect inflation – for example a fall in the value of the pound against other currencies might cause higher import prices for items such as foodstuffs from Western Europe or technology supplies from the United States – which feeds through directly or indirectly into the consumer price index
