WASHINGTON – Gas prices are rising. Auto prices are soaring. Consumer goods companies are charging more for household basics like toilet paper, peanut butter and soft drinks.
All of which is resurrecting fears of an economic threat that has all but disappeared over the past generation: Runaway inflation.
It occurs when prices for most goods and services not only rise but accelerate, making the cost of living steadily more expensive and shrinking the purchasing power of Americans' earnings and savings.
In the past, rising inflation has usually led to higher pay as workers have demanded and received raises to keep pace. In fact, inflation can't really accelerate for long without sizable wage gains.