Inflation is the rise in the amount of money circulating in a given economy over a period of time resulting in a general rise in prices. It is measured as the percentage rate of change of a price index. Mainstream economists overwhelmingly agree that high rates of inflation are caused by high rates of growth of the money supply. Views on the factors that determine moderate rates of inflation, especially in the short run, are more varied: changes in inflation are sometimes attributed mostly to changes in real demand for goods and services or fluctuations in available supplies (i.e. changes in...