Preparing for Inflationary TimesJeff Clark The CPI, in our view, does not accurately measure inflation, which accounts for some of the discrepancy our reader is pointing out. However, the proper definition of inflation is an increase in the quantity of money, which weve had in spades. Weve not experienced the concomitant increase in prices, which is what were addressing in this article. Its logical to assume that when you create more of something, you dilute the value of whats already in existence. Thats exactly what has happened to the US dollar since the 2008 financial crisis hit. Economics 101 says this should lead to higher inflation yet official Consumer Price Index (CPI) levels remain benign. Its this unexpected development that led a reader to pen the above quote. Is the inflation argument dead? If so, does that mean golds big run is over? Its a timely question since the current sell-off in gold is largely attributed to low inflation expectations. This is the first installment in our in-depth series of examining the next big catalysts for the gold price. This month were looking at inflation. While a low CPI may be puzzling in the midst of massive, global currency abuse, there are three realities about inflation that convince us its not only coming, but will catch an unsuspecting citizenry off guard. This statement makes sense on the face of it, but seminal research has been done that confirms it. A country simply cannot escape high inflation when carrying oversized debt levels and/or running massive deficits. Sooner or later, these sins catch up to you, regardless of what the current thinking may be. Debt. The first of these historical studies is detailed in the book, This Time Is Different by Carmen Reinhart and Kenneth Rogoff, whove extensively researched the impact of high debt on inflation and gross domestic product (GDP). Based on a comprehensive study of global incidences, Reinhart and Rogoff gave the following conclusion: When specifically studying US history, they again observed that: When US debt levels met or exceeded 90% of GDP, inflation rose to around 6% roughly triple current levels vs. the 0.5% to 2.5% range when the ratio was below 90%. In other words, inflation is a clear and definite result of high debt levels, but its not a day-to-day link. This likely explains the current lag between high debt and a low CPI reading. So are we nearing that 90% mark? Bud Conrad, chief economist of Casey Research, estimates were currently at approximately 110%. Further, he projected from his research in December that Bud does not expect to see much more deflation. One reason is because Deficit Spending. Peter Bernholz is widely considered the leading expert on the link between deficit spending and hyperinflation. He conclusively states from his research that The US budget deficit totaled $5.1 trillion during Obamas first term in office. The longer deficits last and the bigger they are, the closer a country moves toward very high inflation levels. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) recently reported, however, that the 2013 deficit will drop to $845 billion. Good news, right? Not exactly, because the reduction is largely a result of higher taxes. The CBO was therefore forced to admit It turns into a vicious cycle, because if unemployment grows, money printing will continue and even increase. The CBO further admitted If deficits grow or even just remain elevated we inch closer and closer to the hyperinflation Bernholz warns about. Breaking this cycle will be very difficult, if not impossible at least not without serious consequences. These studies present clear and direct evidence that spending more than is brought in and continually adding to the national credit card leads to higher inflation. Sooner or later, this type of reckless behavior catches up to an economy. The sobering reality is that avoiding moderate to high levels of inflation in our current fiscal state would be an historical first. Unfortunately, thats not the only inflationary fear we have to contend with. Not only is higher inflation a near certainty, history tells us that once it grabs hold, it can quickly spiral out of control. Given our crumbling fiscal state, we must consider the possibility that price inflation could kick in abruptly and rise rapidly. Amity Shlaes, a senior fellow of economic history at the Council on Foreign Relations and a best-selling author, provides some examples from the past century of US inflation that was at first subdued but then abruptly rocketed to alarming levels. Look how quickly inflation rose in just two years from benign levels. According to Shlaes, US inflation was 1% in 1915 (based on an earlier version of the CPI-U). Within just two years, it soared to 17%. As she states, it happened because the Treasury spent like crazy on the war, creating money to pay for it In 1945, the official inflation rate was 2%; it accelerated to 14% in 24 months. Inflation registered 3.2% in 1972 and hit 11% by 1974. Its clear that the arrival of inflation can be sudden, and that prices can quickly spiral out of control. Given the profligate amount of money being printed by many countries around the globe, we could easily become victim to rapidly rising inflation. If we matched the increases in the chart, our CPI would register 11%, 15%, and 19% respectively, by February 2014. Regardless of the timing, though, this is a clear warning from history: expecting the CPI to remain low indefinitely is a dangerous assumption. It is a fact that high inflation reduces the real cost of servicing debt. Our debt levels have grown so high that the only politically acceptable way to deal with them is to inflate the currency. Politicians and central bankers have no incentive to stop, and thus will continue until disastrous price inflation emerges. Just because it hasnt occurred yet doesnt mean it wont. Other political solutions simply arent realistic. There is no amount of politically acceptable increase in tax revenue or austerity measures that can meet existing and future obligations. Printing money is the only viable solution. Once you internalize this, an understanding of the most likely consequences becomes clear. Even if deflation in select asset classes persists or we get another deflationary event like 2008, we can rely on central bankers to concoct more rescue schemes financed with freshly created money. Perhaps just as likely is that the economy does improve and all the money thats been held back enters the system and sparks inflation. Based on these realities, we can draw some well-grounded conclusions about the coming rise in inflation. Stay vigilant, my friends, because higher inflation is coming and as a result, so are higher gold and silver prices. If youve ever dreamed of making a fortune in the markets, todays junior precious-metals mining sector offers the best opportunity youll likely ever see. To help you understand this market more clearly, Casey Research is hosting a free special web video event, Downturn Millionaires. It will feature serially successful speculators who will reveal how they made their millions in junior miners, and how you can follow in their footsteps. linkwithin_text=Related Articles: 