What is a typical result of inflation?

• A. Decrease in prices and wages
• B. Increase money supply, increase in prices, decrease in buying power
• C. No effect on purchasing power
• D. Deflationary pressure reducing prices

Answer: (B)

Inflation means a general rise in prices, and it often comes with more money circulating in the economy. When the money supply grows, there’s more money chasing the same goods, which tends to push prices up. As prices increase, the value of money falls, so what you can buy with a given amount of money decreases. That combination—more money in circulation, higher prices, and lower purchasing power—is the typical result of inflation.

The other described scenarios don’t fit inflation: falling prices and wages describe deflation or a downturn, no change in purchasing power ignores the erosion caused by rising prices, and deflationary pressure reducing prices is the opposite of inflation.