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Topic: Is BTC really a deflating currency or an inflating? - page 2. (Read 1628 times)

newbie
Activity: 25
Merit: 0
I'd rather go for appreciating/depreciating currency instead of deflationary/inflationary currency, which is what most people actually mean. This would be much more intuitive for an average Joe and easier to explain without losing the accuracy of the notion behind it. So we wipe out the possible misunderstanding caused by different definitions of inflation/deflation you rightly refer to (and probably would give rise to new terminological tensions)...

Great idea-- I'll start saying that now.
newbie
Activity: 25
Merit: 0
The problem is that there are two definitions of inflation/deflation which are used by different people. There is monetary inflation, measured by the total amount of money in the economy, and there is price inflation, measured by the change of price of everything. Usually if you have monetary inflation you will also have price inflation, but it does not always happen that way. Bitcoins are an example of monetary inflation (25 new bitcoins are added every 10 minutes), but at the same time we have price deflation.

Good explanation.

"Inflation" literally means "expansion." If you are judging inflation by purchasing power it is unlikely the creation of new Bitcoin will have anything to do with it (given the current volatility). I think it's a bit silly that one would define Bitcoin as "inflationary" or "deflationary" depending on the day, and accept Ron Paul's definition of inflation-- the expansion of the monetary supply. As the previous commenters explained, under this definition Bitcoin will remain inflationary until more Bitcoins are lost/destroyed than created.

legendary
Activity: 3514
Merit: 1280
English ⬄ Russian Translation Services
The problem is that there are two definitions of inflation/deflation which are used by different people. There is monetary inflation, measured by the total amount of money in the economy, and there is price inflation, measured by the change of price of everything. Usually if you have monetary inflation you will also have price inflation, but it does not always happen that way. Bitcoins are an example of monetary inflation (25 new bitcoins are added every 10 minutes), but at the same time we have price deflation.

I'd rather go for appreciating/depreciating currency instead of deflationary/inflationary currency, which is what most people actually mean. This would be much more intuitive for an average Joe and easier to explain without losing the accuracy of the notion behind it. So we wipe out the possible misunderstanding caused by different definitions of inflation/deflation you rightly refer to (and probably would give rise to new terminological tensions)...
hero member
Activity: 756
Merit: 500
It's all fun and games until somebody loses an eye
The problem is that there are two definitions of inflation/deflation which are used by different people. There is monetary inflation, measured by the total amount of money in the economy, and there is price inflation, measured by the change of price of everything. Usually if you have monetary inflation you will also have price inflation, but it does not always happen that way. Bitcoins are an example of monetary inflation (25 new bitcoins are added every 10 minutes), but at the same time we have price deflation.
sr. member
Activity: 251
Merit: 250
The supply is inflating until we reach 21 million around 2140. So it is an inflating currency until that time. Because it's new and adoption rate is rising fast the price of a bitcoin is going up, but this doesn't change the fact that the total supply of bitcoin is increasing at about 10% per year right now. This is the very definition of inflation.

Inflation: The rate at which the general level of prices for goods and services is rising, and, subsequently, purchasing power is falling.

The purchasing power of BTC rises, so by definition its not an inflationary currency. The fact that a 10% of btc are emitted yearly at the moment is overwhelmed because of the increase of users getting btc. Also the amount of emitted gets reduced every few years, most of the coins will already be mined by 2020.

In simpler terms. Imagine a country. Population 10 habitants. The total emitted currency 10$. Every year 1$ is added to the total. So next year you have 11$ for the 10 habitants. But that year 90 more people immigrate to your country. They are all forced to adopt your $. They have goods to exchange for it. But given that 100 people have to live with a total of 11$, and new goods where introduced to that market, the purchasing power of those 11$ is much bigger than what it used to be. Making that currency deflate, even though more money is emitted every year.

Now imagine what would happen if a few million people get into BTC  Grin
sr. member
Activity: 252
Merit: 250
Let the inflation / deflation definitions battle begin!! I for one go with the price not supply definition!
hero member
Activity: 798
Merit: 1000
Inflation and deflation are not measures of the supply but of prices. Inflation does not "stop" at 2140, inflation could happen at any time in the future, even in 250000 AD, because of changes in the velocity of money. Anyone who says different is using unorthodox definitions of inflation and deflation to serve no purpose other than to confuse. The supply that exists is irrelevant compared to the actual useful description of prices which is what matters to each individual.
legendary
Activity: 1246
Merit: 1000
The supply is inflating until we reach 21 million around 2140. So it is an inflating currency until that time. Because it's new and adoption rate is rising fast the price of a bitcoin is going up, but this doesn't change the fact that the total supply of bitcoin is increasing at about 10% per year right now. This is the very definition of inflation.
legendary
Activity: 2198
Merit: 1014
Franko is Freedom
Its inflating until the last coin is minted.
member
Activity: 119
Merit: 10
BTC has a limit of 21 million so we all agree that for that reason makes it a deflate currency, but I have also read a lot and many people say that in case BTC is use all over the world the BTC could be split many many more times that .00000001 so I think that in that case if BTC can be split for ever, is the same that keep making more than 21 millon so it is at the end and inflate currency.
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