Let's begin with the cost of products and interest charged for borrowing money. The Consumer Price Index and the Prime Rate contribute to the health of our economy by determining the value of a dollar and the cost of a loan.

• Food and beverages
• Housing
• Apparel
• Transportation
• Medical care
• Recreation
• Education and communication
• Energy

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes a detailed report pointing out the key changes found in their comparisons. When an upward trend in cost is reported, inflation is underway. A downward trend in cost means deflation. To you, the consumer, inflation means that the same amount of money buys less over time.

When the Federal Reserve Bank lends money to banks, the interest rate they charge is called the Discount Rate. The Prime Rate is the interest rate charged by the local banks to their best customers (typically businesses that are doing well and have a high credit rating), and is influenced by the Discount Rate. The interest rate that is passed on to us for personal loans is impacted by the Prime Rate. Depending upon the applicant's creditworthiness, additional percentage points are usually added.

So, when we take out a loan or mortgage, the cost of borrowing money that our bank pays to the Federal Reserve is passed on to us, the consumer. Are you wondering about the source of the interest rate charged by the Federal Reserve Bank? It actually starts with the Federal Reserve System and their Board of Governors. Their target is to minimize inflation while maximizing employment and economic outputs. The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System bears the responsibility of keeping watch over the many economic factors that contribute to the financial health of our nation. They set the Discount Rate with the objective of optimizing the performance of our economy. Once set, the Federal Reserve Bank implements the new rate.

Today the Federal Reserve's duties fall into four general areas:

• Conducting the nation's monetary policy
• Supervising and regulating banking institutions, and protecting the credit rights of consumers
• Maintaining the stability of the financial system
• Helping the government

If the Discount Rate is set too high, banks are likely to set their interest rates high. If consumers feel that the banks have set the interest rate too high, they may stop borrowing money. Without people borrowing money for expensive, durable goods like cars, the supply of such goods exceeds demand. With inflation a snowball effect happens - when consumers have less money, they buy fewer products, retailers lose sales, manufacturers warehouse unsold goods and begin to reduce their workforce, and employment is affected. This downward spiraling effect occurs as the impact of consumers buying less filters back through the manufacturers of goods and providers of services, ultimately slowing down the growth of our economy.

During times of inflation, the cost of housing rises, as do interest rates on mortgages. The housing market suffers when the builders' production is forced to decrease, and the associated manufacturers and supplies are also hit by the slowdown in new construction.

If inflation is a trend of prices and interest rates increasing, deflation is the trend toward a decrease in prices and interests rates. While you may think that, logically, deflation must be the opposite of inflation - that is only partly true. The country is already suffering an economic setback when deflation occurs. Despite the idea that paying less for goods or to borrow money sounds like a good idea, a downward trend in prices and interest rates is not favorable to the economics of the country. Deflation typically occurs when times are difficult, similar to the depression in the 1930's. During times like these, unemployment tends to be high due to the depressed economy. The decrease in prices and interest is an attempt to stimulate business. Since our economy is based on supply and demand, when unemployment is high and people have less money to spend on goods, it drives the cost of the goods down. This also applies to money. When less money is borrowed, the prime rate goes down. This may sound like a positive trend, but deflation only occurs at times when the economy is very weak. The desired upturn is the availability of jobs and a decrease in the unemployment rate. The rise in employment creates an environment where consumers are able to buy more and the cycle continues.

During times when the employment rate is high and the country's economic output is growing steadily, we experience a time of prosperity. As the government attempts to maintain the stability of the dollar, inflation and higher interest rates may drive the economics of the country into a period of decline. The difference between a recession and a depression is mostly related to degree. There is usually a duration factor that causes experts to define a block of time as having been a depression. A recession is a period of general economic decline, specifically a decline in the Gross Domestic Product for two or more quarters. That being so, a depression is an extended period of time during which business activity drops significantly, unemployment rates are high, and there is a decline in price levels and the supply of money.

People who invest in the stock market keep an eye on economic indicators. By watching the changing trends in the Consumer Price Index and the Prime Rate, they expect to increase their ability to predict the changes in their investments. Whether you invest in stocks or have a curiosity about the economic changes facing the dollar, studying the Consumer Price Index and the Prime Rate, and exploring the other economic indicators, will increase your awareness of these factors, too.

Aside from the Consumer Price Index and the Prime Rate, there are additional economic indicators that look at information related to:

• Production, Sales, Orders, and Inventories (example: Housing Starts)
• Output (example: Gross National Product)
• Income, Expenditures, and Wealth (example: Disposable Personal Income)
• Prices (example: Consumer Price Index)
• Money, Credit, and Interest Rates (example: Money Stock and Components)
• Transportation (example: Airline Domestic Revenue Passenger Miles)
• International Statistics (example: Balance on Current Account)

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