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by RamshackleJ 1834 days ago
most people globally do hold most of their savings in cash, many people are unbanked and physical currency is the only way they have to preserve wealth.
2 comments

Savings, yes. But those same demographics also save very little, and spend most of their income almost immediately with no opportunity for it to inflate.
Where they do typically have debts, which massively benefit from deflation
No, debts are massively _hurt_ by deflation.

Since debts/credits are made in nominal terms debtors are benefited by inflation, and creditors are benefited by deflation.

Example: in 2021 I borrow $100, with an agreement to pay back $105 in 2022. If inflation over that year is +10% (or any amount of inflation > 5%), then I benefit because the real value of what I pay back is only worth $105 * (1-0.1) = $94.5 in constant 2021 dollars.

If on the other hand, there is deflation (or any amount of inflation < 5%), I lose because the real value of what I pay back is higher than what I received. E.g. if there is 10% deflation, then the amount I have to pay back is now worth $105 * (1+0.1) = $115.50 in constant 2021 dollars.

Sorry you're absolutely right -- typo honest, not me brainfarting.

Inflation whittles away at your debt, which is why inflation is good for the average person who owns very little cash and has lots of debt (i.e. someone with a mortgage) - assuming that wages keep up with inflation so the cost of the weekly shop is still x% of the weekly pay slip.

Of course high interest rates offset that somewhat, but if interest rates are around inflation level, for those with debt (ie young people who haven't benefited from inheritence a lot) it's a good thing.

Inflation is good for corporate debtors, too, which is why governments around the world are so generally enamored with it.
I wonder if this is a western/urban phenomenon.

In most of the places I have been in developing countries, people hold their wealth in livestock and gold.