One of the tools, among probably many others, is comparing the yields between conventional Treasury securities and TIPS (inflation-protected securities sold by the U.S. Treasury). This can provide a useful measure of the market's expectation of future CPI inflation. Measuring inflation expectations is important because people's expectations about inflation influence their behavior in the marketplace and, in turn, have consequences for future inflation.
inflation
Interest rates express the value of money over time, and are a function of inflation and supply/demand of capital. In US markets, short-term interest rates - such as the one-month interest rate - are almost wholly dependent on where the Fed Open Markets Committee (FOMC) sets its overnight lending rate, known as "Fed Funds". The FOMC meets about every six weeks to raise or lower interest rates depending on the path of the economy and inflationary/deflationary pressure. For example, after September 11th, the FOMC met to "ease" interest rates (i.e., lower them) to stimulate borrowing and spending. During the tech boom, when the economy was hot and speculation rife, the FOMC was "tightening" money (aka "hiking" rates) by raising its target interest rate and therefore increasing borrowing costs. The FOMC target rate, and expectations for future FOMC rate moves, drive the short end of the yield curve. Long-term interest rates are also responsive to Fed policy, but are more dependent on supply/demand dynamics as well as longer term rate expectations. If, for example, people expect a lot of inflation (i.e., the value of a dollar erodes rapidly over time), long-term interest rates will be high. In recent years, pension investment and overseas demand for USD bonds have kept long-term rates relatively low. Because the FOMC sets interest rates in response to economic and inflationary conditions, and because longer term investment decisions are dependent upon those factors, you tend to see short-term and long-term interest rates move in the same direction.
measures the prices of products typically purchased by consumers and is used to measure inflation
jake
Interest rate, time preference, consumption smoothing, inflation expectations
inflation
The answer depends on the following factors:whether you are paying it or earning it,what the rate of inflation iswhat your expectations are for the rate of inflation/interest over the duration.
Interest rates express the value of money over time, and are a function of inflation and supply/demand of capital. In US markets, short-term interest rates - such as the one-month interest rate - are almost wholly dependent on where the Fed Open Markets Committee (FOMC) sets its overnight lending rate, known as "Fed Funds". The FOMC meets about every six weeks to raise or lower interest rates depending on the path of the economy and inflationary/deflationary pressure. For example, after September 11th, the FOMC met to "ease" interest rates (i.e., lower them) to stimulate borrowing and spending. During the tech boom, when the economy was hot and speculation rife, the FOMC was "tightening" money (aka "hiking" rates) by raising its target interest rate and therefore increasing borrowing costs. The FOMC target rate, and expectations for future FOMC rate moves, drive the short end of the yield curve. Long-term interest rates are also responsive to Fed policy, but are more dependent on supply/demand dynamics as well as longer term rate expectations. If, for example, people expect a lot of inflation (i.e., the value of a dollar erodes rapidly over time), long-term interest rates will be high. In recent years, pension investment and overseas demand for USD bonds have kept long-term rates relatively low. Because the FOMC sets interest rates in response to economic and inflationary conditions, and because longer term investment decisions are dependent upon those factors, you tend to see short-term and long-term interest rates move in the same direction.
measures the prices of products typically purchased by consumers and is used to measure inflation
jake
Th expectations for the future that tend to discourage current consumption are as a result of high uncertainty. This is considered to be a major source of inflation.
In the, CPI is the measure of inflation but elsewhere it may be the RPIX...RPIX includes mortgage payments. So if a country uses RPIX to measure inflation the difference is that the RPIX includes mortgage costs.
Interest rate, time preference, consumption smoothing, inflation expectations
The monetary policy-making body within the Federal Reserve is the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC). Its voting members are the seven governors of the board of governors and five presidents of the regional banks. The FOMC meets eight times per year.
Prices indexes measure the rate of inflation from month to month by measuring by how much the price of a number of goods increase over time.This might help as well:What_does_the_consumer_price_index_measure
Carolin E. Pflueger has written: 'Inflation-indexed bonds and the expectations hypothesis'
buying and selling U.S. securities