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The heterogeneous impact of inflation on households’ balance sheets

Author

Listed:
  • Clodomiro Ferreira

    (Banco de España)

  • José Miguel Leiva

    (BBVA Research)

  • Galo Nuño

    (Banco de España)

  • Álvaro Ortiz

    (BBVA Research)

  • Tomasa Rodrigo

    (BBVA Research)

  • Sirenia Vazquez

    (BBVA Research)

Abstract

We identify and study analytically three key channels that shape how inflation affects wealth inequality: (i) the traditional wealth (or Fisher) channel through which inflation redistributes from lenders to borrowers; (ii) an income channel through which inflation reduces the real value of sticky wages and benefits; and (iii) a relative consumption channel through which heterogeneous increases in the prices of different goods affect people differently depending on their consumption baskets. We then quantify these channels during the 2021 inflation surge in Spain using detailed, high-frequency customer-level data from one of the main commercial banks. The unexpected nature of the inflation shock and its perception as temporary in this period in particular closely fit the assumptions behind our theoretical decomposition. Results show that the wealth and income channels are an order of magnitude larger than the consumption channel. Middle-aged individuals were, in net terms, largely unaffected by inflation, while the elderly suffered the most. We find similar results when using representative surveys on households’ wealth, income, and consumption.

Suggested Citation

  • Clodomiro Ferreira & José Miguel Leiva & Galo Nuño & Álvaro Ortiz & Tomasa Rodrigo & Sirenia Vazquez, 2024. "The heterogeneous impact of inflation on households’ balance sheets," Working Papers 2403, Banco de España.
  • Handle: RePEc:bde:wpaper:2403
    DOI: https://doi.org/10.53479/35932
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Slacalek, Jiri & Tristani, Oreste & Violante, Giovanni L., 2020. "Household balance sheet channels of monetary policy: A back of the envelope calculation for the euro area," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 115(C).
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    Cited by:

    1. Aliocha Accardo & Sylvérie Herbert & Cristina Jude & Adrian Penalver, 2023. "Measuring and Comparing Consumption Inequality between France and the United States," Working papers 904, Banque de France.
    2. Rodolfo G. Campos & Jesús Fernández-Villaverde & Galo Nuño & Peter Paz, 2024. "Navigating by Falling Stars: Monetary Policy with Fiscally Driven Natural Rates," NBER Working Papers 32219, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    3. Oriol Sabaté & Sara Torregrosa-Hetland, 2024. "War inflation and taxation," UB School of Economics Working Papers 2024/463, University of Barcelona School of Economics.
    4. Ampudia, Miguel & Ehrmann, Michael & Strasser, Georg, 2023. "The effect of monetary policy on inflation heterogeneity along the income distribution," Working Paper Series 2858, European Central Bank.
    5. Pallotti, Filippo & Paz-Pardo, Gonzalo & Slacalek, Jiri & Tristani, Oreste & Violante, Giovanni L., 2023. "Who bears the costs of inflation? Euro area households and the 2021–2022 shock," Working Paper Series 2877, European Central Bank.
    6. Szwacka-Mokrzycka Joanna & Marzena Lemanowicz, 2023. "The Influence of Inflation on the Economic Situation of Households in Poland," European Research Studies Journal, European Research Studies Journal, vol. 0(3), pages 119-132.
    7. Osbat, Chiara & Conflitti, Cristina & Eiglsperger, Martin & Goldhammer, Bernhard & Kuik, Friderike & Menz, Jan-Oliver & Rumler, Fabio & Moreno, Marta Saez & Segers, Lina & Wieland, Elisabeth & Bellocc, 2023. "Measuring inflation with heterogeneous preferences, taste shifts and product innovation: methodological challenges and evidence from microdata," Occasional Paper Series 323, European Central Bank.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    uneven inflation; net nominal positions; nominal wage rigidities;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G51 - Financial Economics - - Household Finance - - - Household Savings, Borrowing, Debt, and Wealth
    • D31 - Microeconomics - - Distribution - - - Personal Income and Wealth Distribution
    • E31 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - Price Level; Inflation; Deflation

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