Inflation happens when prices rise and purchasing power falls, while deflation occurs when prices drop and purchasing power increases. Both can strain an economy if they move too far in either ...

July Fourth saw big crowds, congested highways and full airplanes as tens of millions of Americans celebrated not only the country’s independence but their own liberation from the pandemic. There were ...

Mary Hall is a editor for Investopedia's Advisor Insights, in addition to being the editor of several books and doctoral papers. Mary received her bachelor's in English from Kent State University with ...

Historical data suggests a key factor in bringing down prices is a slowdown in consumer spending. Despite nearly half of Americans reporting they're in a worse financial situation than five years ago, ...

Explore how deflation affects investment values, the shift toward cash preservation, and strategies that investors can use to ...

The latest inflation figures are released each month. What is inflation and how does it impact your personal finances?

This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated. (Above: Nexstar Media Wire explainer video ...