Inflation has no effect on the real value of non-monetary items

Monetary items

Money was invented over a long period of time. Eventually money came to fulfil the following three functions during inflation and deflation:

1) Unstable medium of exchange
2) Unstable store of value
3) Unstable unit of account

Non-monetary items were only defined in unstable monetary terms after the invention of unstable money. The economy came to be divided in the unstable monetary economy and the non-monetary or real economy. There were only unstable monetary items and variable real value non-monetary items. There were no constant real value non-monetary items yet. The non-monetary or real economy consisted of only variable items.

Monetary items are money held and items with an underlying monetary nature.

Examples of monetary items in today’s economy are bank notes and coins, bank loans, bank savings, other monetary savings, bank account balances, treasury bills, commercial bonds, government bonds, mortgage bonds, student loans, car loans, consumer loans, credit card loans, notes payable, notes receivable, all monetary loans, etc.

Unstable money and other monetary items´ real values are continuously being destroyed by inflation. Inflation only destroys the real value of unstable money and other monetary items. Inflation has no effect on the real value of non-monetary items.

Non-monetary items are all items that are not monetary items.

Non-monetary items in today’s economy are divided into two sub-groups:

a) Variable real value non-monetary items
b) Constant real value non-monetary items

There were still no units of constant purchasing power because there was still no CPI at that time. There were still no real value destroying Historical Cost Accounting model and very destructive stable measuring unit assumption accounting fallacy. There were still no price-level accounting, no Constant Purchasing Power inflation accounting model for hyperinflationary economies and no Constant ITEM Purchasing Power Accounting model for low inflationary and deflationary economies. There were still no financial reports. There were still no very popular accounting fallacies authorized by the IASB.

Inflation

Inflation is always and everywhere a monetary phenomenon: Milton Friedman.

Inflation is a sustained rise in the general price level of goods and services in an economy over a period of time. Prices are normally set in terms of the unstable money or unstable functional currency in an economy or economic region. Inflation always and everywhere destroys the real value of depreciating money and other depreciating monetary items over time. Inflation has no effect on the real value of non-monetary items. Disinflation is a decrease in the rate of increase of the general price level. Inflation still destroys the real value of depreciating money and other depreciating monetary items during disinflation; just at a slower rate than before.

Deflation is a sustained decrease in the general price level. Deflation creates real value in appreciating money and other appreciating monetary items over time, recently mainly seen in the Japanese economy.

Inflation reared its ugly head soon after the invention of money. It only destroyed the real value of depreciating money and other depreciating monetary items at that time as it does today. Inflation did not and can not destroy or erode (which is the same as destroy) the real value of non-monetary items – either variable or constant real value non-monetary items.

Inflation has no effect on the real value of non-monetary items.


“Purchasing power of non monetary items does not change in spite of variation in national currency value.”

Prof Dr. Ümit GUCENME, Dr. Aylin Poroy ARSOY, Changes in financial reporting in Turkey, Historical Development of Inflation Accounting 1960 - 2005, Page 9.

Kindest regards,

Nicolaas Smith