Professionals from Italian e-commerce players faced inflation's impact on their business. A survey from early 2023 showed that about four in ten companies had decreased margins to keep similar prices, whereas 31 percent of surveyed professionals stated their companies maintained similar prices but reduced discounts.

According to a survey conducted in June 2023, due to high inflation 55 people of French people said they had often looked for reduced prices when going grocery shopping, while a further 33 percent were often going to discount stores. Moreover, 31 percent of the surveyed admitted they sometimes refrained from buying meat, while 27 percent said they were not heating their house even when it was cold.

Graph and download economic data for Treasury Long-Term Average (Over 10 Years), Inflation-Indexed (DLTIIT) from 2000-01-03 to 2025-07-11 about TIPS, long-term, Treasury, yield, interest rate, interest, real, rate, and USA.

The enduring discourse regarding the effectiveness of interest rate policy in mitigating inflation within developing economies is characterized by the interplay of structural and supply-side determinants. Moreover, extant academic literature fails to resolve the direction of causality between inflation and interest rates. Nevertheless, the prevalent adoption of interest rate-based monetary policies in numerous developing economies raises a fundamental inquiry: What motivates central banks in these nations to consistently espouse this strategy? To address this inquiry, our study leverages wavelet transformation to dissect interest rate and inflation data across a spectrum of frequency scales. This innovative methodology paves the way for a meticulous exploration of the intricate causal interplay between these pivotal macroeconomic variables for twenty-two developing economies using monthly data from 1992 to 2022. Traditional literature on causality tends to focus on short- and long-run timescales, yet our study posits that numerous uncharted time and frequency scales exist between these extremes. These intermediate scales may wield substantial influence over the causal relationship and its direction. Our research thus extends the boundaries of existing causality literature and presents fresh insights into the complexities of monetary policy in developing economies. Traditional wisdom suggests that central banks should raise interest rates to combat inflation. However, our study uncovers a contrasting reality in developing economies. It demonstrates a positive causal link between the policy rate and inflation, where an increase in the central bank’s interest rates leads to an upsurge in price levels. Paradoxically, in response to escalating prices, the central bank continues to heighten the policy rate, thereby perpetuating this cyclical pattern. Given this observed positive causal relationship in developing economies, central banks must explore structural and supply-side factors to break this cycle and regain control over inflation.

August 2024 marked a significant shift in the UK's monetary policy, as it saw the first reduction in the official bank base interest rate since August 2023. This change came after a period of consistent rate hikes that began in late 2021. In a bid to minimize the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Bank of England cut the official bank base rate in March 2020 to a record low of *** percent. This historic low came just one week after the Bank of England cut rates from **** percent to **** percent in a bid to prevent mass job cuts in the United Kingdom. It remained at *** percent until December 2021 and was increased to one percent in May 2022 and to **** percent in October 2022. After that, the bank rate increased almost on a monthly basis, reaching **** percent in August 2023. It wasn't until August 2024 that the first rate decrease since the previous year occurred, signaling a potential shift in monetary policy. Why do central banks adjust interest rates? Central banks, including the Bank of England, adjust interest rates to manage economic stability and control inflation. Their strategies involve a delicate balance between two main approaches. When central banks raise interest rates, their goal is to cool down an overheated economy. Higher rates curb excessive spending and borrowing, which helps to prevent runaway inflation. This approach is typically used when the economy is growing too quickly or when inflation is rising above desired levels. Conversely, when central banks lower interest rates, they aim to encourage borrowing and investment. This strategy is employed to stimulate economic growth during periods of slowdown or recession. Lower rates make it cheaper for businesses and individuals to borrow money, which can lead to increased spending and investment. This dual approach allows central banks to maintain a balance between promoting growth and controlling inflation, ensuring long-term economic stability. Additionally, adjusting interest rates can influence currency values, impacting international trade and investment flows, further underscoring their critical role in a nation's economic health. Recent interest rate trends Between 2021 and 2024, most advanced and emerging economies experienced a period of regular interest rate hikes. This trend was driven by several factors, including persistent supply chain disruptions, high energy prices, and robust demand pressures. These elements combined to create significant inflationary trends, prompting central banks to raise rates in an effort to temper spending and borrowing. However, in 2024, a shift began to occur in global monetary policy. The European Central Bank (ECB) was among the first major central banks to reverse this trend by cutting interest rates. This move signaled a change in approach aimed at addressing growing economic slowdowns and supporting growth.

The inflation rate had a serious impact on Italian consumers, who were forced to adapt to the more expensive food prices by adopting new purchasing strategies. Two thirds of the customers aged 65 years or more refrained from buying unnecessary products and prevented food waste. These two approaches were taken on by 55 percent of the unemployed and the residents of Sicily and Sardinia, too. On the contrary, 60 percent of the working-class members purchased more products on offer and limited superfluous goods, rather than reducing the waste of food. Moreover, half of them changed their buying customs by choosing cheaper products, even if the goods were not the habitual ones. The other categories did not have the same willingness to adjust their purchasing strategy by buying new low-cost labels, as two thirds of the respondents demonstrated their loyalty to usual brands. More than 40 percent of the underclass and residents in the islands went more frequently for grocery shopping at discount stores. Overall, the working class mostly diversified the purchasing strategy against inflation, opting for different practices to reduce the food spending costs, whereas the other categories focused primarily on buying only indispensable products and less waste, without drastically changing their habits.

Governments'™ party identifications can indicate the types of economic policies they are likely to pursue. A common rule of thumb is that left-party governments are expected to pursue policies for lower unemployment, but which may cause inflation. Right-party governments are expected to pursue lower inflation policies. How do these expectations shape the inflation forecasts of monetary policy bureaucrats? If there is a mismatch between the policies bureaucrats expect governments to implement and those that they actually do, forecasts will be systematically biased. Using US Federal Reserve Staff'™s forecasts we test for executive partisan biases. We find that irrespective of actual policy and economic conditions forecasters systematically overestimate future inflation during left-party presidencies and underestimate future inflation during right-party ones. Our findings suggest that partisan heuristics play an important part in monetary policy bureaucrats'™ inflation expectations.

Explanation of CPI and the Dataset:

What is CPI?

CPI (Consumer Price Index) measures the average change in prices over time that consumers pay for a basket of goods and services. It is a key indicator of inflation and is used by governments and central banks to monitor price stability and for inflation targeting. Components: The construction of CPI involves two main components: Weighting Diagrams: These represent the consumption patterns of households. Price Data: This is collected at regular intervals to track changes in prices.

Role of the Central Statistics Office (CSO):

The CSO, under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, is responsible for releasing CPI data. The indices are released for Rural, Urban, and Combined sectors for all-India and individual States/UTs.

Dataset Alignment:

Sectors: The dataset includes a "Sector" column that categorizes data into "Rural," "Urban," and "Rural+Urban," aligning with the CPI data released by the CSO. Time Period: The "Year" and "Name" (which appears to represent months) columns in the dataset track the data over time, consistent with the monthly release schedule by the CSO starting from January 2011. State/UT Data: Each column corresponding to a state or union territory likely represents the CPI values for that region. The numeric values under each state/UT column represent the CPI index values, with a base of 2010=100. Purpose: This data can be used to analyze inflation trends, price stability, and the impact on economic policies, such as adjustments to dearness allowance for employees. Practical Use of This Data: Inflation Analysis: By examining the changes in CPI values across different states, analysts can study regional inflation trends and compare them to the national average. Policy Making: Governments and central banks can use this data to design and adjust policies aimed at controlling inflation, targeting specific regions or sectors that are experiencing higher inflation. Wage Indexation: Companies and governments can use CPI data to adjust wages and allowances in line with inflation, ensuring that purchasing power is maintained.

Lower Threshold Estimates of Inflationary Effect of Climate Change Shocks on Food Prices.

Lower Threshold Estimates of Inflationary Effect of Climate Change Shocks on General Consumer Prices.

Since 2021, the inflation rate in Italy suddenly has surged to levels never touched in the past ten years. Hence, Italians had to change their approach to everyday life, adopting new food spending habits to counter the erosion of purchasing power. In particular, for 50 percent of the interviewees, avoiding the buy of superfluous goods and a limitation of food waste were the best strategies against rising prices. Moreover, around 40 percent of the citizens decided to purchase more frequently — and possibly store — products on offer. Instead, one third of the respondents did the grocery shopping in the more affordable discount stores. However, from the survey emerges that Italians were less keen to renounce to name brand products in favor of private label goods. In fact, one fourth of the consumers declared to buy more store brands, but only 18 percent chose to purchase exclusively them. In 2023, still 70 percent of customers preferred to buy national brands rather than store labels. Hence, Italian consumers faced the growing inflation cutting optional expenses, maximizing the necessary ones, and incrementing food provisions, without quitting label goods consumption, perceived to have a higher quality than the private brand competitors.

ABSTRACTAdministered prices and government discretion. Administered prices during the first term of President Dilma were used as an instrument to meet inflation target, so as to subordinate industrial policies to short run macroeconomic aims. This strategy was ineffective to control inflation and distorted investment and consumption decisions. The article shows that prices tend to deviate more the larger their weight in the price index, and tend to vary consistently with the political cycles. The article concludes with policy suggestions to control the negative effect of deviations of government discretion to determine administered prices.

This study examines the impact of U.S. health policies on out-of-pocket healthcare expenditures, revealing that certain policies are notably more effective in reducing costs for individuals. The regression model explains 99.5% of the variation in out-of-pocket expenses (R² = 0.995). Key findings show the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) as the most impactful, reducing costs by $0.43 per unit (β = -0.426, p = 0.007), followed by COVID-19 Response and Health Policy Changes (CRHPC), which reduces costs by $0.16 (β = -0.162, p = 0.019). Government Expenditure on Health, however, has a positive impact, increasing out-of-pocket spending by $0.69 per dollar spent (β = 0.695, p = 0.001), suggesting inefficiencies. Inflation also drives costs up, with each 1% increase resulting in an additional $0.02 out-of-pocket (β = 0.017, p = 0.032). The findings recommend focusing on high-impact policies like the IRA and CRHPC, while reevaluating lower-impact programs to optimize resource allocation and control healthcare inflation.

During the period beginning roughly in the mid-1980s until the Global Financial Crisis (2007-2008), the U.S. economy experienced a time of relative economic calm, with low inflation and consistent GDP growth. Compared with the turbulent economic era which had preceded it in the 1970s and the early 1980s, the lack of extreme fluctuations in the business cycle led some commentators to suggest that macroeconomic issues such as high inflation, long-term unemployment and financial crises were a thing of the past. Indeed, the President of the American Economic Association, Professor Robert Lucas, famously proclaimed in 2003 that "central problem of depression prevention has been solved, for all practical purposes". Ben Bernanke, the future chairman of the Federal Reserve during the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) and 2022 Nobel Prize in Economics recipient, coined the term 'the Great Moderation' to describe this era of newfound economic confidence. The era came to an abrupt end with the outbreak of the GFC in the Summer of 2007, as the U.S. financial system began to crash due to a downturn in the real estate market.

Causes of the Great Moderation, and its downfall

A number of factors have been cited as contributing to the Great Moderation including central bank monetary policies, the shift from manufacturing to services in the economy, improvements in information technology and management practices, as well as reduced energy prices. The period coincided with the term of Fed chairman Alan Greenspan (1987-2006), famous for the 'Greenspan put', a policy which meant that the Fed would proactively address downturns in the stock market using its monetary policy tools. These economic factors came to prominence at the same time as the end of the Cold War (1947-1991), with the U.S. attaining a new level of hegemony in global politics, as its main geopolitical rival, the Soviet Union, no longer existed. During the Great Moderation, the U.S. experienced a recession twice, between July 1990 and March 1991, and again from March 2001 tom November 2001, however, these relatively short recessions did not knock the U.S. off its growth path. The build up of household and corporate debt over the early 2000s eventually led to the Global Financial Crisis, as the bursting of the U.S. housing bubble in 2007 reverberated across the financial system, with a subsequent credit freeze and mass defaults.

This study examined the relationship between debt servicing and foreign exchange rate unification in Nigeria from 1995 to 2023, hypothesizing that a unified exchange rate policy would significantly impact the country's debt service-to-revenue ratio. Using annual time series data from sources such as the International Monetary Fund and World Development Indicators, the study employed an Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) model to analyze the relationship between the debt service-to-revenue ratio and factors including the official foreign exchange rate, GDP growth rate, inflation rate, and oil prices. The findings revealed several notable insights. Exchange rate unification was found to have a significant negative effect on the debt service-to-revenue ratio, suggesting that a unified exchange rate policy could help reduce Nigeria's debt service burden. Both current and lagged inflation rates showed a significant negative impact on the debt service-to-revenue ratio, indicating that higher inflation might be eroding the real value of debt or increasing nominal revenues faster than debt servicing costs. Lagged exchange rates were found to negatively affect the debt service-to-revenue ratio, implying that higher exchange rates in the previous period decrease the current ratio. Oil prices demonstrated mixed effects, with current prices positively impacting the debt service-to-revenue ratio while lagged prices had a negative effect. The study also revealed strong persistence in debt servicing behavior over time, as evidenced by the significant positive correlation between current and previous year's debt service ratios. These results offer significant implications for policymakers. The negative effect of exchange rate unification on the debt service-to-revenue ratio suggests that such a policy could improve efficiency in forex markets and reduce arbitrage opportunities, ultimately helping to reduce the debt service burden. The negative relationship between inflation and the debt service-to-revenue ratio indicates that higher inflation might be beneficial for debt servicing in the short term, though this should be interpreted cautiously given the potential negative consequences of high inflation. The mixed impact of oil prices reflects the complexity of Nigeria's oil-dependent economy, highlighting the need for economic diversification. The strong persistence in debt servicing commitments points to potential structural issues in debt management or lack of fiscal flexibility. Policymakers can use these findings to inform strategies for managing Nigeria's debt burden. The results suggest that pursuing exchange rate unification, carefully managing inflation, diversifying the economy to reduce oil dependence, and improving fiscal discipline could all contribute to better management of debt servicing costs. However, it's crucial to consider the lagged effects of economic variables on debt servicing when formulating long-term fiscal strategies.

European Union central banks navigated a complex economic landscape between 2022 and 2025, with interest rates initially rising across member states. However, a pivotal shift occurred in late 2023 as most countries began lowering their rates, reflecting the delicate balance between controlling inflation and supporting economic growth. In the Euro area, the European Central Bank (ECB) led this trend by cutting interest rates from 4.5 percent to 3.15 percent in 2024, implementing four strategic rate reductions throughout the year. This approach was nearly universally adopted, with Poland being the sole EU country not reducing its rates during this period. The ECB continued the series of reductions in early 2025, setting the rate at 2.4 percent in April 2025. Global context and policy shifts The interest rate changes in the EU mirror similar movements in other major economies. The United States, United Kingdom, and European Union central banks followed remarkably similar patterns from 2003 to 2024, responding to shared global economic conditions. After maintaining near-zero rates following the 2008 financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic, these institutions sharply raised rates in 2022 to combat surging inflation. By mid-2024, the European Central Bank and Bank of England initiated rate cuts, with the Federal Reserve following suit. Varied approaches within the EU Despite the overall trend, individual EU countries have adopted diverse strategies. Hungary, for instance, set the highest rate in the EU at 13 percent in September 2023, gradually reducing it to 6.5 percent by September 2024. In contrast, Sweden implemented the most aggressive cuts, lowering its rate to 2.25 percent by February 2025, the lowest among EU members. These divergent approaches highlight the unique economic challenges faced by each country and the flexibility required in monetary policy to address specific national circumstances.

Discover how shrinkflation is used by companies to manage costs and maintain profit margins by reducing product sizes while keeping prices stable.

According to Cognitive Market Research, the asset and wealth management market size is USD XX million in 2024 and will expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of XX from 2024 to 2031.

North America held the major market of more than XX of the global revenue with a market size of USD XX million in 2024 and will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of XX from 2024 to 2031.
Increasing demand for the industry would result in exponential growth with new investments in the market. 
Technological advancements are the main growth driver of the global asset and wealth management market. 
Security protocols in Global asset and wealth management are a restraint. 
Emerging market economies will further create lucrative opportunities for the Global asset and wealth management market. 
Based on the Advisory segment, Robo Advisory has seen the highest CAGR and market and will continue to grow in the upcoming years. 
Growing trends in the asset and management industry are investing more in technology, and cyber security to enhance security and data, offering effective services to clients and improving client acquisition.

Market Dynamics of asset and wealth management market

Key Driving Factors of the asset and wealth management market

How Technological advancements are impacting asset and wealth management?

The wealth management industry is anticipated to a strong growth in the coming years. There is a rising trend of technological transformation in this industry with a shift to online services. This leads to effective solutions and increasing demand in the industry. Wealth management firms have also started providing several services to clients with increased financial plans, etc. The robo-advisor technology is being widely used by the firms A hybrid approach that smoothly combines human services and technological innovation is the way wealth management will develop in the future. Wealth managers can take advantage of the power of data and analytics due to the boost in digital transformation. The rise of fintech firms has accelerated the growth in the global market. Although the wealth management industry works majorly through human advisors which is why there should be a right balance between technology and personal interactions with clients. There has been a significant shift in the demographic landscape of the wealth management industry, especially after the COVID-19 outbreak. Firms are providing services to clients across the globe through virtual meetings and by using more technological advancements and AI Tools. For instance, in 2020, the online brokerage company E*TRADE Financial Corporation was to be acquired by Morgan Stanley. The purchase intends to give Morgan Stanley's customers access to a more complete digital asset management platform and to grow the company's wealth management division.

Rising economic growth is the main driver for the global asset and wealth management market

The asset and wealth management market is driven by strong economic growth and is determined by several factors such as inflation, interest rates, macroeconomic conditions, etc. These factors play an important role in shaping investment and financial strategies. Resilient economic growth drives up the demand and results in healthy growth for the asset and wealth management market. Adoption of technology and productive investment both increase productivity. GDP growth and productivity growth are considerably accelerated by new investment. Businesses increase their investments in and use of digital and automation technologies in response to tight labor markets, which promotes productivity development. Redesigned supply chains are still effective, and there is a surplus of labor available worldwide thanks to a new wave of growing nations. Technology and innovation are effectively pushed by industrial strategy. The rapid expansion of the supply reduces inflationary pressure. As real interest rates average 1% and inflation falls to the target level, productive capital allocation is further encouraged. Adoption of new technologies, increasing disposable income, and rise in consumers For instance, in September 2023, as per the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the increase in GDP of the US economy resulted in strong growth for the Global asset and wealth management market.

Restraining factors of asset and wealth management mar...

Graph and download economic data for Producer Price Index by Commodity: Machinery and Equipment: Other Cutting Tools for Machine Tools, Excluding Tips and Blanks (WPU11350149) from Dec 2011 to May 2025 about tool, machines, machinery, equipment, commodities, PPI, inflation, price index, indexes, price, and USA.

From IRA to CHIPS, take a deeper look at the impact of recent US economic policies and learn how to strategize around shifts in government funding.