Purchasing Power

Topic

The value of a currency expressed in the amount of goods or services one unit of money can buy. The discussion emphasizes that inflation has severely diminished the purchasing power of Americans, making them feel poorer even if their wages have risen.


First Mentioned

10/12/2025, 6:00:19 AM

Last Updated

10/12/2025, 6:02:44 AM

Research Retrieved

10/12/2025, 6:02:44 AM

Summary

Purchasing power is a fundamental economic concept representing the real value of a currency, defined by the quantity of goods and services one unit of money can acquire. It is significantly influenced by factors such as inflation, which erodes its value by increasing prices, and deflation, which enhances it. The current U.S. economy, for instance, is experiencing a "vibecession" where strong macroeconomic indicators like GDP growth are contradicted by negative consumer sentiment, primarily due to crippling inflation and soaring interest rates that have severely diminished purchasing power. This financial strain, exemplified by rising prices at establishments like McDonald's, is often attributed to excessive government spending. A related concept, Purchasing Power Parity (PPP), extends this idea to an international context, comparing the absolute purchasing power of different national currencies by evaluating the cost of a standardized basket of goods and services across countries, thereby enabling comparisons of GDP, labor productivity, and cost of living.

Referenced in 1 Document
Research Data
Extracted Attributes
  • Impacts

    Consumers, businesses, economies

  • Definition

    The value of a currency expressed in terms of the amount of goods or services that one unit of money can buy.

  • Also known as

    Buying power

  • PPP limitations

    May not reflect reality due to local costs, taxes, tariffs, and competition

  • PPP applications

    Comparing GDP, labor productivity, actual individual consumption, cost of living, price convergence between countries

  • Measurement method

    Price indices (e.g., Consumer Price Index - CPI)

  • PPP calculation method

    Basket of goods and services (around 3,000 consumer goods/services, 30 government occupations, 200 equipment types, 15 construction projects)

  • Economic classification

    Economic concept

  • Related economic concept

    Purchasing Power Parity (PPP)

  • Other influencing factors

    Wage growth, interest rates, currency fluctuations, policy changes, major events, industry changes

  • Primary influencing factor (negative)

    Inflation

  • Primary influencing factor (positive)

    Deflation

Timeline
  • The U.S. economy is experiencing a 'vibecession' where positive macroeconomic data like GDP growth is disconnected from negative consumer sentiment, primarily due to crippling inflation and soaring interest rates decimating purchasing power. This situation is attributed to excessive government spending. (Source: Summary, Related Documents)

    Ongoing

Purchasing power parity

Purchasing power parity (PPP) is a measure of the price of specific goods in different countries and is used to compare the absolute purchasing power of the countries' currencies. PPP is effectively the ratio of the price of a market basket at one location divided by the price of the basket of goods at a different location. The PPP inflation and exchange rate may differ from the market exchange rate because of tariffs, and other transaction costs. The purchasing power parity indicator can be used to compare economies regarding their gross domestic product (GDP), labour productivity and actual individual consumption, and in some cases to analyse price convergence and to compare the cost of living between places. The calculation of the PPP, according to the OECD, is made through a basket of goods that contains a "final product list [that] covers around 3,000 consumer goods and services, 30 occupations in government, 200 types of equipment goods and about 15 construction projects".

Web Search Results
  • Purchasing Power: What It Is, Formula, Examples - SmartAsset.com

    Purchasing power refers to the amount of goods and services a person or entity can buy with a given amount of money. It fluctuates over time due to inflation, deflation and changes in income, directly affecting consumers, businesses and economies. When inflation rises, purchasing power declines, meaning the same amount of money buys fewer goods. Conversely, if wages increase faster than inflation, purchasing power improves. It is commonly measured using price indices like the Consumer Price [...] Purchasing power represents the real value of money in terms of the quantity of goods and services it can buy. Purchasing power changes over time under the influence of factors such as inflation, wage growth, interest rates and currency fluctuations. For example, if prices rise over time, each dollar is less effective in securing goods and services. When this happens, purchasing power has declined. [...] Purchasing power measures the impact of inflation on buyers in a single country using that country’s currency. Another measure, Purchasing Power Parity (PPP), compares the relative value of currencies by determining what the same set of goods would cost in different countries.

  • Understanding Purchasing Power and the Consumer Price Index

    Purchasing power describes the amount of products or services that a single unit of money can acquire, reflecting the real-world value of currency in the marketplace. It can weaken over time due to inflation. That's because rising prices effectively decrease the number of goods or services that one unit of money can buy. Purchasing power is also known as a currency's buying power. [...] In investment terms, purchasing or buying power is the dollar amount of credit available to a customer based on the existing marginable securities in the customer's brokerage account. ### Key Takeaways [...] A concept related to purchasing power is purchasing power parity (PPP). PPP is an economic theory that estimates the amount by which an item should be adjusted for parity, given two countries’ exchange rates. PPP can be used to compare countries’ economic activity, income levels, and other relevant data concerning the cost of living, or possible rates of inflation and deflation.

  • What Is Purchasing Power? - Business Insider

    Purchasing power is a measure of how many goods or services you can buy with a unit of currency. The currency might be a commodity, such as gold, silver, or a government-issued currency, such as the U.S. dollar (USD). You can calculate an item's real interest rate (the nominal interest rate minus the rate of inflation) to see if a specific financial choice would hurt or improve your purchasing power. [...] Purchasing power refers to how much you can buy with a unit of currency, such as a dollar. If your purchasing power declines, your money has become less valuable. Inflation impacts purchasing power, but changing wages can also impact your finances. If you find a $100 bill that was printed 20 years ago, it will still be worth $100 dollars. But you can probably buy a lot less with it today than you could have when it first came off the printing press. [...] If you anticipate substantial inflation, you might feel more motivated to buy stocks, for example, instead of putting your money into fixed-income instruments like bonds that have lower expected returns. ## Purchasing power: Conclusion Purchasing power measures how much a unit of currency can buy. It's often impacted by inflation and deflation — the changing cost of goods and services. But policy changes and major events or industry changes can also influence purchasing power.

  • How Does Inflation Influence Purchasing Power?

    In economics, purchasing power is the value of a currency relative to other goods and services. It measures how much of one good or service can be purchased with a given amount of money. In other words, it is the number of goods/services that can be bought for a certain price. Purchasing power is determined by the prevailing prices in an economy and changes over time due to the following factors: ### Inflation [...] Credit and interest rates influence purchasing power in two ways. The first is through the cost of borrowing money when interest rates go down. When interest rates are low, businesses can access capital more cheaply and use it to purchase goods or services that will help them increase their production capabilities. This increases their ability to produce more, which can drive down prices and increase purchasing power.

  • What Is Purchasing Power Parity (PPP), and How Is It Calculated?

    Purchasing power parity (PPP) is a popular metric used by macroeconomic analysts that compares different countries' currencies through a "basket of goods" approach. PPP allows economists to compare economic productivity and standards of living between countries. Some countries adjust their gross domestic product (GDP) figures to reflect PPP. Some feel that PPP does not reflect reality due to differences in local costs, taxes, tariffs, and competition. [...] Purchasing power parity (PPP) is a macroeconomic tool that compares the buying power of different countries’ currencies using a common “basket of goods.” It shows the exchange rate at which the basket would cost the same in each country, making it easier to compare cost of living and overall economic strength. ### Key Takeaways [...] Purchasing power parity is the exchange rate at which the currency of one nation must be converted into the currency of another so that the same products and services can be purchased in each country. ## Why Is PPP Important? PPP is an important metric because it provides a way to compare levels of growth and standards of living in various nations, each of which has its own currency. ## Which Country Ranks Lowest in PPP and GDP?