GDP, unemployment, and inflation test review
We typically want inflation to be?
1-3%
Creeping Inflation
1-3% inflation
How much is the GDP of the United States?
18 trillion
what is considered a normal unemployment rate when the economy is working properly?
3.5 - 5%
if a person has money invested at 9 percent and the rate of inflation is 5 percent, how much return are they actually making on their investment?
4 percent
What is Michigan's current unemployment rate?
4.6%
GDP
$ value of all goods/services produced in a country
Which phase of the business cycle do we want to be in for long periods of time?
Expansion
Real GDP
GDP in constant unchanging price
What is the difference between GDP and GNP?
GDP is all goods/services within a country whereas GNP is all goods/services by that country's businesses
Nominal GDP
GDP measured in current prices
Cyclical Unemployment
unemployment tied to the business cycle
Frictional Unemployment
When people take time to find a job
because of low unemployment rates in the country of lountavia, employers offer higher wages. to maintain profits, they charge consumers more goods and services. the resulting effect will most likely be?
a wage-price spiral of ever-increasing prices
Poverty Threshold
below minimum income level to support a family
What are the leading economic indicators used to predict?
business cycles
how can an economist compare the standard of living in two different countries?
by comparing real GDP per capita
which goods would be included in the calculation of GDP?
cars name in tennessee at a factory owned by a japanese car company
the basket mentioned in the preceding question is called the
consumer price index
According to the demand-pull theory, what is responsible for inflation?
demand for goods and services exceeds existing supply
Demand-Pull Theory
demand goes for goods exceeds supply, so price goes up
godzilla hits canada, wiping out all industry. the event sends the economy into a downward spiral. in this case, economists would say the business cycle was influenced by
external shocks
Inflation
general rise in prices
Seasonal Unemployment
happens at the end of the season
Structural Unemployment
happens when skills do not match available jobs
Full employment
happens when there is no cyclical unemployment
Wage-Price Spiral
higher wages = higher prices = higher wages
Cost-Push Theory
increased costs causes producers to raise prices
which of the following are leading indicators?
interest rates and stock prices
What is one limitation of GDP?
it does not measure health and happiness such a quality of life
Why don't government planners try to end seasonal unemployment?
it is a natural part of a healthy economy
what typically happens to the inflation rate when unemployment falls to very low levels?
it rises
An inflation rate of 0% is
lousy, there is no good growth in the economy
Economists try to predict changes in the business cycle by anticipating?
movement in real GDP
Which of the following is a result of unemployment that is very high?
prices may drop due to low demand
which of the following is considered a cause of inflation?
producers raise prices to meet higher costs
why is real GDP per capita considered a more useful figure than real GDP?
real GDP per capita takes population into account
Consumer Price Index
represents the market basket of urban consumer
Chronic Inflation
steady rising inflation over a long period of time
when godzilla, a college math professor, leaves his job at a small rural college and starts looking for a job at a large urban university, he is
structurally unemployed
Deflation
sustained drop in the price level
Which of the following will be most impacted by inflation (in a negative way)?
the elderly
what is the main problem for people on fixed income during a period of chronic inflation?
their income will not increase, so their purchasing power falls
Why do we want there to be some inflation?
there is growth in the economy
What does "full employment" mean?
there is no cyclical unemployment
what is one way economists measure the inflation rate?
they study price changes in the market basket
which of the following has the highest GDP per Capita?
Lichtenstein
My grandfather is always telling me that a dollar went further when he was a child than it does today. He means that
a dollars had more purchasing power when he was young
Quantity Theory
too much money causes inflation
the "market basket" that is used by the Bureau of Labor Statistics to calculate prices (and inflation) is made of which of the following?
typically goods and services for an urban household
which of the following workers is underemployed?
woman who works 20 hours a week but wants to work more
Is deflation a good thing?
yes if caused by new technology