hyperinflation
Currency collapse spiral
Hyperinflation is runaway inflation so extreme that a currency loses value faster than people can spend it.
Prices may double daily or weekly, making savings worthless and forcing people to use wheelbarrows of cash for basic goods: The Weimar hyperinflation of the 1920s saw Germans papering walls with worthless banknotes.
Hyperinflation typically signals economic collapse or severe political instability.
Lacking any value
- banknotesPaper currency notes
- wheelbarrowsOne-wheeled manual carts
- cashReady spending funds
- printingReproducing text mechanically
denomination · redenomination · quadrillion · zeroes · paper money · numismatics · collectibles · currency reform
Thuringian city, cultural landmark
- ZimbabweSouthern African republic
- VenezuelaNorthern South American republic
- HungaryCentral European republic
- YugoslaviaFormer South Slav federation
Argentina · Brazil · war reparations · interwar period · Latin America · post-Soviet
Central bank economic controls
- central bankNational currency management institution
- money supplyTotal currency in circulation
- quantitative easingAsset purchases to boost economy
- fiscal deficitSpending exceeds revenue
government spending · price controls · cost-push · dollarization · budget deficit · sovereign debt · interest rates · stagflation
Lack of any value
- depreciationAsset value reduction over time
- purchasing powerEconomic spending ability
- erosionGradual wearing away
- debasementDiminishing worth or purity
plummeting · collapse · freefall · exchange rate · currency crash · dilution · weakening · decline
Sudden structural failure
- meltdownCatastrophic loss of control
- catastropheDevastating, large-scale misfortune
- emergencySerious sudden danger
- chaosComplete disorder and confusion
turmoil · upheaval · panic · desperation · hardship · suffering · distress · calamity
One who flees
- gallopingFastest equine gait
- spiralingCurving in widening circles
- skyrocketingRising sharply and quickly
- uncontrolledLacking any regulation
accelerating · exponential · unchecked · soaring · surging · escalating · explosive · out of control
Severe lack of resources
- unemploymentBeing without paid work
- barter economyTrade without money
- food shortagesInsufficient supply of nourishment
- emigrationLeaving homeland permanently
political instability · regime change · social unrest · black market · dollarization
worthless
Lacking any value
- banknotesPaper currency notes
- wheelbarrowsOne-wheeled manual carts
- cashReady spending funds
printing · denomination · redenomination · quadrillion · zeroes · paper money · numismatics · collectibles · currency reform
Weimar
Thuringian city, cultural landmark
- ZimbabweSouthern African republic
- VenezuelaNorthern South American republic
- HungaryCentral European republic
Yugoslavia · Argentina · Brazil · war reparations · interwar period · Latin America · post-Soviet
monetary policy
Central bank economic controls
- central bankNational currency management institution
- money supplyTotal currency in circulation
- quantitative easingAsset purchases to boost economy
fiscal deficit · government spending · price controls · cost-push · dollarization · budget deficit · sovereign debt · interest rates · stagflation · economic theory
worthlessness
Lack of any value
- depreciationAsset value reduction over time
- purchasing powerEconomic spending ability
- erosionGradual wearing away
debasement · plummeting · collapse · freefall · exchange rate · currency crash · dilution · weakening · decline
collapse
Sudden structural failure
- meltdownCatastrophic loss of control
- catastropheDevastating, large-scale misfortune
- emergencySerious sudden danger
chaos · turmoil · upheaval · panic · desperation · hardship · suffering · distress · calamity · ruin
runaway
One who flees
- gallopingFastest equine gait
- spiralingCurving in widening circles
- skyrocketingRising sharply and quickly
uncontrolled · accelerating · exponential · unchecked · soaring · surging · escalating · explosive · out of control
poverty
Severe lack of resources
- unemploymentBeing without paid work
- barter economyTrade without money
- food shortagesInsufficient supply of nourishment
emigration · political instability · regime change · social unrest · black market · dollarization
- German FinanceDeutsche Bank, Deutsche Mark, Deutschmark, Reichsmark, currency reform
- economyGDP, money, GNP, market, banking sector
- economic crisisrecession, depression, collapse, downturn, contraction
- hyper-hyperactive, hyperlink, hyperbole, hypertension, hyperspace
- economic historystock market crash, Industrial Revolution, trade routes, Great Depression, gold standard
- German HistoryNazi, Prussia, Saxony, Reichstag, Napoleonic Wars
hyperinflationprice stability
Consistent general price levels
sound money · hard currency · economic stability · gold standard · prosperity