📚 Learning Guide
Real Interest Rates and Inflation
easy

If inflation rises while nominal interest rates remain unchanged, what is the most likely effect on real interest rates?

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Learning Path
Learning Path

Question & Answer
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2
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3
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Choose the Best Answer

A

Real interest rates decrease

B

Real interest rates increase

C

Real interest rates remain unchanged

D

Real interest rates become negative

Understanding the Answer

Let's break down why this is correct

Answer

When inflation rises and nominal interest rates stay the same, real interest rates will decrease. Real interest rates are the rates you actually earn on your money after considering inflation. For example, if the nominal interest rate on your savings is 5% but inflation rises to 3%, the real interest rate is only 2%. This means that even though you are earning interest, the purchasing power of your money is not growing as much because prices are increasing faster. Therefore, higher inflation with unchanged nominal rates reduces the real value of interest earnings.

Detailed Explanation

When inflation goes up, the money you earn loses value faster. Other options are incorrect because Some might think that if inflation rises, interest rates must also rise; It's a common mistake to think that real rates don't change with inflation.

Key Concepts

Real Interest Rates
Inflation
Nominal Interest Rates
Topic

Real Interest Rates and Inflation

Difficulty

easy level question

Cognitive Level

understand

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