How Supply Affects Crypto’s Value, Explained

Not necessarily — this can help the cryptocurrency remain valuable.

Deflation relates to a decrease in the price you pay for goods and services. It’s the opposite of inflation — a term you’ve probably heard of if you’ve ever wondered why prices keep rising in supermarkets. Although it is considered a bad thing in the traditional economy, it isn’t necessarily a bad thing in the crypto world.

Inflation is a problem because that $1,000 you store in a safe for a decade could end up buying you a lot less. Just look at the United States Inflation Calculator, which shows that a $1 item in 1913 would cost $25.43 today.

As Blockonomi’s Brian Curran explains, inflationary markets also lead to “rampant debt levels” and push economies to live beyond their means. It can also end up going to extremes — and in Zimbabwe, inflation rates soared from 59 percent in 2000 to 80,000,000,000 percent (yes, 80 billion) in 2008. This is hyperinflation, and it renders currencies unusable. Venezuela, a country suffering from extensive political instability, has become one of the world’s biggest crypto markets because of hyperinflation, with one trader saying: “Even though Bitcoin is volatile, it’s still safer than the national currency.”

Cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin are finite — with some economists comparing them to “digital gold” as a result. As output rises, the prices of goods are going to fall, but crypto as a store of value could rise simultaneously. Advocates of deflation argue that this is far more stable than what we see in the global economy today.

Ethereum doesn’t have an overall cap, and instead, new crypto is injected into its ecosystem every year. Although this makes it inflationary, inflation rates are decreasing as more ETH enters circulation.