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by risk000 1880 days ago
People who want to tell the old Austrian story about money will always find supporting evidence to do this. If you are seeking to view everything as a nascent currency crisis, because thats the only economic narrative that appeals, then there will be things that tie into that.

A modern iPhone, price converted into 1970s equivalent technology, has many millions of dollars of 1970s technology on it [see YT link below]. Now available for 600 dollars. An older gentleman I was speaking with yesterday told me about how nickels and dimes had become worthless.. indicating a decrease in value of the American currency. On his lap he was holding, what would have been for the era he had in mind (60s), a sleek, miniaturized supercomputer. These are now available for less than 1000 dollars with a monthly operating cost less than 100 dollars, including power. The same 10 dollar bill that in the past might have bought more food, now buys an unending amount of technical gadgets and do-dads mass-produced from the Chinese market, which can be shipped to one's doorstep for either free or an additional 5 dollars. Those products and markets didn't exist or were not open in this golden age of nickels and dimes he was referring to.

I may have misread your comment, but if you are leading me down a primrose path to speculate on the relative worthlessness of the dollar, because some asset prices have increased - I'm not going there. I've seen people parroting these arguments for 20 years now online. Stocks and housing are special cases. Cars are actually also weirdly price-fixed to support the auto industry. Everything else is getting relatively cheaper. This guy has some worthwhile thoughts on it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSw41MqPFoM