Simplifying Life Insurance in India
Recession Vs Inflation: What You Need To Understand?
What Is Recession?
Recession refers to a period of two consecutive quarters indicating economic setbacks. During this time, the gross domestic product (GDP) curve takes a toll.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) centrally regulates the economic proceedings in India. Thus, they mark the start and end dates of a recession period. In addition, the RBI describes recession as a sustained window of a poor-performing economic graph for the Indian economy.
What Is Inflation?
Inflation points out the increase in product pricing over time. When inflation hits the economy, a certain amount of currency can procure fewer units of products than before. In addition, the service pricing chart also gets revised.
Many economists think highly about inflation because, according to them, it pushes the citizens to adopt more spending capacity. But if inflation continues for a prolonged period, it refers to an overheated economy.
What Are the Differences Between Inflation and Recession?
You can refer to the following table to clarify the topic of recession vs inflation.
Point of Difference |
Recession |
Inflation |
Description |
It points out a general underperforming economic status. The consequences arising from a dip in the GDP for two back-to-back quarters. |
It describes the hike in prices of commodities over a certain time. |
Determiner |
Quarterly GDP, or the cumulative yield of goods or services per quarter procured from an economy, determines whether a period must be marked under recession. |
The Wholesale Price Index and the Consumer Price Index together determine inflation. In WPI, manufactured commodities get greater emphasis, while CPI impacts consumer-level food items more. |
Time Period |
Recessions can happen due to increased unemployment, less spending power for a long time, etc. |
Inflation is subjective to ongoing economic decisions. It can arise anytime. |
What Are the Similarities Between Inflation and Recession?
To gain comprehensive knowledge, you need to gather knowledge on the similarities as well, besides knowing the recession and inflation differences. That is why it will help if you go through these points:
- Both Cause Headache for the Common Folks: Whether it is a window of recession or inflation, common people face hardships coping in both cases. The altered pricing structure forces those who are part of that economy to either check their expenses or upgrade their revenue generation.
- Both Can Continue for Long Periods: There are no determinable records based on which common people can predict the end of an ongoing recession or inflation. Both call for economic adaptation at your end; otherwise, you will not be able to establish financial stability. Furthermore, as the consumer spending pattern changes, it produces short-term repercussions in various sectors.
- Both Bring Irrevocable Economic Distress: If any of the two conditions last long, a country’s economic growth can reach a complete standstill. The government needs to step in to curb the effects arising from these sensitive issues. For instance, all central banks collaboratively revise several monetary policies to check various plights leading to recession and inflation. All these things simultaneously cause considerable distress for the commoners.
- Often Both Can Exist Synchronously: Though fundamentally, both are distinguishable, yet you can feel their effects simultaneously. It happens because they are interlinked, and often, long-term inflation gives rise to recession.
The Final Takedown on Inflation Vs Recession?
Despite the difference between recession and inflation being vividly understandable, one cannot deny their interdependence. Often, waves of recession kick in, followed by high inflation.
Recession happens simply as businesses modify their operation policies. Production volume goes down, and pricing methodologies also undergo escalation.
Often economists argue recession brings a bit of a moderate consequence compared to inflation. Their reasoning is logical, as recession only affects the life of salaried professionals. Inflation affects a greater mass when the government fails to curb it for a prolonged period.
Another group of intellectuals debate that recessions harm the revenue streams for everyone as a natural impact on the country’s economy. In addition to unemployment during a recession, productive resources shrink, particularly those involving labour, which lowers economic output.
Deciding which condition is worse by walking through the difference between recession and inflation can be challenging. Both have a detrimental effect on various facets of the economy, including commercial and consumer spending. But you can manage your finances and investment portfolio in times of growing inflation or recession by being aware of the distinctions between these two situations.
FAQs on Recession and Inflation
What are some common causes of recession?
Every recession period gets triggered due to a unique reason. Some of the typical causes of recessions are as follows:
- Low consumer confidence in the current economic scenario limiting their purchases only to necessary commodities
- Revised government regulations
- Sharp fall in the real estate market
- Cost cutting of companies, job losses, etc.
What are the different types of inflation?
Inflation is broadly classified into three categories:
- Demand-pull Inflation
- Cost-push Inflation
- Built-in Inflation
The first scenario arises when the production volume of services or commodities cannot match a mass’ expectations. In contrast, the second condition appears when production costs go up, leading to a hike in the final pricing. While the last condition gets triggered when the overhead costs of manufacturing units shoot up due to the increasing demand of workers.
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Disclaimer
- This is an informative article provided on 'as is' basis for awareness purpose only and not intended as a professional advice. The content of the article is derived from various open sources across the Internet. Digit Life Insurance is not promoting or recommending any aspect in the article or its correctness. Please verify the information and your requirement before taking any decisions.
- All the figures reflected in the article are for illustrative purposes. The premium for Coverage that one buys depends on various factors including customer requirements, eligibility, age, demography, insurance provider, product, coverage amount, term and other factors
- Tax Benefits, if applicable depend on the Tax Regime opted by the individual and the applicable tax provision. Please consult your Tax consultant before making any decision.
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