{"id":32071,"date":"2021-09-28T14:52:32","date_gmt":"2021-09-28T14:52:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analystprep.com\/cfa-level-1-exam\/?p=32071"},"modified":"2026-07-29T16:29:36","modified_gmt":"2026-07-29T16:29:36","slug":"32071","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analystprep.com\/cfa-level-1-exam\/economics\/32071\/","title":{"rendered":"Expected and Unexpected Inflation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">\n{\n  \"@context\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\",\n  \"@type\": \"QAPage\",\n  \"mainEntity\": {\n    \"@type\": \"Question\",\n    \"name\": \"Which of the following is caused by unexpected inflation (as opposed to expected inflation)?\",\n    \"text\": \"Which of the following is caused by unexpected inflation (as opposed to expected inflation)?\\n\\nA. Menu cost.\\nB. Uneven distribution of wealth between lenders and borrowers.\\nC. Both menu cost and uneven distribution of wealth between lenders and borrowers.\",\n    \"answerCount\": 3,\n    \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n      \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n      \"text\": \"B. Uneven distribution of wealth between lenders and borrowers.\"\n    },\n    \"suggestedAnswer\": [\n      {\n        \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n        \"text\": \"A. Menu cost.\"\n      },\n      {\n        \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n        \"text\": \"C. Both menu cost and uneven distribution of wealth between lenders and borrowers.\"\n      }\n    ]\n  }\n}\n<\/script>\n\n\n\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/opwhOwJygDA?si=kmxy_BZBf6T5UVpo\" title=\"YouTube video player\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Expected Inflation <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Expected inflation is the inflation that economic agents anticipate in the future. Expected inflation leads to \u201cmenu cost,\u201d which refers to a scenario in which businesses change their advertised prices constantly. The constant fluctuation of prices is due to inflation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Inflation also leads to \u201cshoe-leather cost,\u201d which refers to the cost of time and effort (more especially the opportunity cost of time and energy) that people invest in trying to counteract the effects of inflation, such as holding less cash and having to make frequent trips to the bank.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<div style=\"margin: 18px 0;\"><a style=\"display: block; text-align: center; padding: 14px 18px; border: 2px solid #2F5BFF; border-radius: 18px; color: #ffffff ; font-weight: 600; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; background-color: #1a73e8 ;\" href=\"https:\/\/analystprep.com\/free-trial\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Master CFA Level I economics concepts with AnalystPrep\u2019s Free Trial. <\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Unexpected I<\/strong><strong>nflation <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Unexpected inflation is the inflation experienced above or below what was expected. Unexpected inflation affects the economic cycle. It reduces the validity of the information on market prices for economic agents. Over the years, unexpected inflation impacts employment, investment, and profits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Unexpected inflation leads to high-risk premiums and economic uncertainty. With higher uncertainty, lenders ask for a premium to compensate for the uncertainty. This leads to higher costs of borrowing, hence reducing economic activity because it discourages investments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Differences Between Expected Inflation and Unexpected Inflation<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a summary, the differences can be represented in the table below:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">$$<br>\\begin{array}{l|c|c}<br>\\text{} &amp; \\text{Expected Inflation} &amp; \\text{Unexpected Inflation} \\\\<br>\\hline<br>1 &amp; \\begin{array}{c} \\text{It is anticipated inflation by} \\\\ \\text{economic agents in an} \\\\ \\text{economy} \\end{array} &amp; \\begin{array}{c} \\text{It is inflation experienced that is} \\\\ \\text{above or below what was expected} \\end{array} \\\\<br>\\hline<br>2 &amp; \\begin{array}{c} \\text{Wage negotiations and} \\\\ \\text{pricing into business and} \\\\ \\text{financial contrasts solve} \\\\ \\text{expected inflation} \\end{array} &amp; \\begin{array}{c} \\text{When inflation is higher than} \\\\ \\text{expected, borrowers benefit at the} \\\\ \\text{expense of lenders because of the} \\\\ \\text{decline in the value of their} \\\\ \\text{borrowing. When inflation is lower} \\\\ \\text{than expected, lenders benefit from} \\\\ \\text{the borrowers because of the rise in} \\\\ \\text{the value of the payment of a debt.} \\end{array} \\\\<br>\\hline<br>3 &amp; \\begin{array}{c} \\text{Menu cost and shoe leather} \\\\ \\text{costs are the results or by-} \\\\ \\text{products of this kind of} \\\\ \\text{inflation.} \\end{array} &amp; \\begin{array}{c} \\text{Inequality, information asymmetry,} \\\\ \\text{and risk premium are the by-products} \\\\ \\text{of this kind of inflation.} \\end{array} \\\\<br>\\end{array}<br>$$<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Question<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Which of the following is caused by unexpected inflation (as opposed to expected inflation)?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A. Menu cost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">B. Uneven distribution of wealth between lenders and borrowers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">C. Both menu cost and uneven distribution of wealth between lenders and borrowers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Solution<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The correct answer is <strong>B<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Unexpected inflation leads to unequal distribution of wealth between lenders and borrowers where one tends to benefit at the expense of the other. In addition, unexpected inflation causes a reduction of information on market prices and risk premium on borrowing rates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>A and C are incorrect.<\/strong> It is expected inflation that leads to menu cost and shoe leather cost.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"notes_inv\"><hr>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/analystprep.com\/cfa-level-1-exam\/economics\/learning-sessions-curriculum-economics\/\"><em>Economics &#8211; Learning Sessions<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"text-align: center; margin: 30px 0;\"><a style=\"display: inline-flex; align-items: center; justify-content: center; padding: 12px 26px; border-radius: 9999px; background: #1e5bd8; color: #ffffff; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;\" href=\"https:\/\/analystprep.com\/free-trial\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> Start Free Trial \u2192 <\/a> <p style=\"margin-top: 12px; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5;\">Strengthen your understanding of key CFA Level I economics concepts with study notes, practice questions, and mock exams designed to help you prepare effectively.\n<\/p>\n <\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Expected Inflation Expected inflation is the inflation that economic agents anticipate in the future. Expected inflation leads to \u201cmenu cost,\u201d which refers to a scenario in which businesses change their advertised prices constantly. The constant fluctuation of prices is due&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-32071","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-economics","blog-post","no-post-thumbnail","animate"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Expected &amp; Unexpected Inflation | CFA Level I<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Learn the difference between expected and unexpected inflation, their economic effects, and how inflation expectations influence markets.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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