Real versus nominal value (economics)

In economics, nominal (or, in effect, "named") value refers to value measured in terms of absolute money amounts, whereas real value is considered and measured against the actual goods or services for which it can be exchanged at a given time. For example, if one is offered a salary of

40,000, in that year, the real and nominal values are both

40,000. The following year, any inflation means that although the nominal value remains $40,000, because prices have risen, the salary will buy fewer goods and services, and thus its real value has decreased in accordance with inflation. On the other hand, ownership of an asset that holds its value, such as a diamond (making the vastly simplifying assumption of a generally steady market) may increase in nominal price increase from year to year, but its real value, i.e. its value in relation to other goods and services for which it can be exchanged, or its purchasing power, is consistent over time, because inflation has affected both its nominal value and other goods' nominal value. In spite of changes in the price, it can be sold and an equivalent amount of emeralds can be purchased, because the emerald's prices will have increased with inflation as well. In macroeconomics, the real gross domestic product, or real GDP, compensates for inflation so economists can exclude inflation from growth figures, and see how much the economy actually did grow. Nominal GDP would include inflation, and thus be higher. A commodity bundle is a sample of goods, which is used to represent the sum total of goods across the economy to which the goods belong, for the purpose of comparison across different times (or locations). At a single point of time, a commodity bundle consists of a list of goods, and each good in the list has a market price and a quantity. The market value of the good is the market price times the quantity at that point of time. The nominal value of the commodity bundle at a point of time is the total market value of the commodity bundle, depending on the market price, and the quantity, of each good in the commodity bundle which are current at the time.

About this result

This page is automatically generated and may contain information that is not correct, complete, up-to-date, or relevant to your search query. The same applies to every other page on this website. Please make sure to verify the information with EPFL's official sources.

Related concepts (27)

Related courses (7)

Related lectures (56)

Money

Money is any item or verifiable record that is generally accepted as payment for goods and services and repayment of debts, such as taxes, in a particular country or socio-economic context. The primary functions which distinguish money are as a medium of exchange, a unit of account, a store of value and sometimes, a standard of deferred payment. Money was historically an emergent market phenomenon that possessed intrinsic value as a commodity; nearly all contemporary money systems are based on unbacked fiat money without use value.

Fisher equation

In financial mathematics and economics, the Fisher equation expresses the relationship between nominal interest rates and real interest rates under inflation. Named after Irving Fisher, an American economist, it can be expressed as real interest rate ≈ nominal interest rate − inflation rate. In more formal terms, where equals the real interest rate, equals the nominal interest rate, and equals the inflation rate, the Fisher equation is . It can also be expressed as or .

Real versus nominal value (economics)

40,000, in that year, the real and nominal values are both

FIN-406: Macrofinance

This course provides students with a working knowledge of macroeconomic models that explicitly incorporate financial markets. The goal is to develop a broad and analytical framework for analyzing the

FIN-417: Quantitative risk management

This course is an introduction to quantitative risk management that covers standard statistical methods, multivariate risk factor models, non-linear dependence structures (copula models), as well as p

HUM-471: Economic growth and sustainability I

This course examines growth from various angles: economic growth, growth in the use of resources, need for growth, limits to growth, sustainable growth, and, if time permits, population growth and gro

Anti-dilution Protections

Explains anti-dilution protections in startup investments, covering full-ratchet and weighted-average mechanisms, down rounds, and conversion price adjustments.

Macrofinance: Problem Set 5 FIN-406: Macrofinance

Covers a macrofinance problem set related to autarky economy and consumption-output equality.

Risk Measures: Accuracy and Multivariate Distributions FIN-417: Quantitative risk management

Discusses risk measure evaluation, confidence intervals, and multivariate distributions for portfolio risk assessment.