How Fake Money Saved Brazil – NPR

“This is a story about how an economist and his buddies tricked the people of Brazil into saving the country from rampant inflation. They had a crazy, unlikely plan, and it worked.

Twenty years ago, Brazil’s inflation rate hit 80 percent per month. At that rate, if eggs cost $1 one day, they’ll cost $2 a month later. If it keeps up for a year, they’ll cost $1,000.

In practice, this meant stores had to change their prices every day. The guy in the grocery store would walk the aisles putting new price stickers on the food. Shoppers would run ahead of him, so they could buy their food at the previous day’s price. 

The problem went back to the 1950s, when the government printed money to build a new capital in Brasilia. By the 1980s, the inflation pattern was in place.” Read more.

“How Fake Money Saved Brazil” 
Chana Joffe-Walt 
NPR, October 4, 2010.

Published by

The FTC should answer its Call of Duty to Gamers

"There are so many holes in the FTC and Sony’s opposition to the Microsoft-Activision merger… Read More

May 22, 2023

What’s Next for the Fed?

"A wide range of outcomes are still possible for 2023, ranging from stagflation to a… Read More

May 22, 2023

Economic Growth Makes Graceland Less Impressive

"The real 'capitalist achievement,' however, isn’t Graceland. It’s the fact that compared to the stuff… Read More

May 21, 2023

All Housing is Still Affordable Housing: “Seen and Unseen” Edition

"The unseen cause of gentrification is the knee-jerk NIMBYism of affluent leftist neighborhood associations. And… Read More

May 21, 2023

The Greedflation Myth

"Politicians on the left would like us to believe inflation is caused by greedy corporations.… Read More

May 20, 2023

Three Proposals for Price Stability

"As 'dark horse' candidate, Ramaswamy has a greater burden of proof before the electorate.… Read More

May 20, 2023

America’s Long Depression

"The US economy may continue to grow or shrink few percent from year to… Read More

May 19, 2023

Without Economic Freedom, None of the Others Matter

"Forbidding entrepreneurial ventures that have not been granted prior approval and design review by unelected… Read More

May 19, 2023

*AIER is a 501(c)(3) Nonprofit registered in the US under EIN:04-2121305