Trevor Rose’s Insights - Trevor’s most-liked answers from 5i Research. The Effects of Inflation. Inflation, by definition, can be described both by as an erosion of the purchasing power of the dollar, or as an increase in the price of goods and services. By investing in the financial markets, individuals can earn a return over the long-term that is above the rate of inflation, and thereby having a low time preference and increasing their wealth after the effects of inflation. We can see that if an individual held one US dollar from 1988 until the present, it would provide that individual with ~$0.40 in purchasing power in today’s terms. Similarly, one Canadian dollar held from 1988 would be worth roughly $0.50 today. Conversely, one US dollar invested in the S&P 500 in 1988 would be worth ~$6.0 (after the effects of inflation) in purchasing power today, and one Canadian dollar invested in the TSX in 1988 would be worth ~$3.0 today. Unlock Premium - Try 5i Free
Trevor Rose’s Insights - Trevor’s most-liked answers from 5i Research. The Canadian markets have mostly been flat over the past couple of weeks, while the US markets have begun to see an improvement. The stagnating price of oil has put downwards pressure on the Canadian markets which carry a higher weighting towards the energy and commodities markets than the US. The June inflation number for the US was released at a 40-year high of 9.1%, aided by rising gas, food, and rent costs, and the Canadian inflation reading for June came in at an elevated 8.1%, but still lower than the expected 8.4%. The Bank of Canada raised interest rates by 1.0% and the Federal Reserve is expected to make its interest rate decision mid-next week. In this market update, we are going to be talking about the benefits of having a low time preference and the importance of investing to protect one's capital over a long timeframe. Unlock Premium - Try 5i Free