When an economy experiences a large, temporary inflation shock (such as a sudden spike in global energy or agricultural prices), central banks look past the initial price shock and focus on preventing Second-Round Effects.
The Wage-Price Feedback Loop
[Temporary Supply Shock Spikes Prices]
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[Workers Experience Lower Real Wages] --------> Drives demands for nominal pay hikes
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[Corporations Grant Wage Increases] -----------> Increases internal corporate overhead costs
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[Companies Raise Final Consumer Prices] -------> Triggers second-round wage-price spirals
If workers demand higher wages to cover temporary cost increases, and corporations respond by raising consumer prices to protect profit margins, a self-fulfilling Wage-Price Spiral can develop. This feedback loop embeds inflation into the domestic economy, requiring restrictive interest rate hikes to cool demand and anchor pricing systems.
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