The Hindu Editorial (Inflation conundrum) – Jan 19, 2022

While North Block mandarins seek to conjure up policy levers in the upcoming Budget to spur India’s fragmented economic recovery along, the latest official data suggest industrial output… For further reading, visit “The Hindu”. Below is today’s word list-1 for The Hindu Editorial (Inflation conundrum) – Jan 19, 2022.

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The Hindu Editorial (Inflation conundrum) – Jan 19, 2022:

inflation (noun) – simply meaning “cost of living”; increase of price level of goods & services and vice versa decrease of currency value.
conundrum (noun) – problem, difficulty, quandary/dilemma.
compound (verb) – intensify, increase, exacerbate, heighten, aggravate, worsen.
South & North Block (noun) – South Block is a metonym of the Prime Minister’s Office. North Block is a metonym of the Ministry of Finance, India. (The Secretariat Building (consists North & South Block) or Central Secretariat is where the Cabinet Secretariat is housed, which administers the Government of India. The South Block houses the Prime Minister’s Office, Ministry of Defence, and the Ministry of External Affairs). The North Block primarily houses the Ministry of Finance and the Home Ministry). (Metonym is used as an alternative for something else with which it is closely related/associated).
mandarin (noun) – a powerful officer, public/government servant, office-bearer, civil servant.
seek (verb) – try, aim, attempt.
conjure up (phrasal verb) – make something appear, generate, produce, generate (unexpectedly or by magic).
lever (noun) – handle, grip.
spur (verb) – stimulate, encourage, prompt, galvanize.
fragmented (adjective) – divided, disintegrated, collapsed, broken up.
along (adverb) – onwards, ahead, further.
stutter (verb) – stumble, falter, flounder, pause, halt; progress/advance hesitantly/irregularly.
meagre (adjective) – small, little, paltry, inadequate/deficient.
surge (verb) – rise or increase suddenly.
incidence (noun) – the rate of something.
steepest superlative adjective of steep (adjective) – sudden, sharp, rapid.
pace (noun) – the rate at which something develops.
clock (verb) – register, record, achieve.
headline inflation (noun) – it is a measure of the total inflation within an economy, including commodities such as food and energy prices.
core inflation (noun) – it is a measure of the total inflation within an economy, excluding commodities such as food and energy prices (which change frequently).
stated (adjective) – specified, identified, expressed clearly.
tolerance (noun) – deviation, fluctuation, variation.
threshold (noun) – it is an amount, level, or limit of something. Once the threshold is reached, something else happens or changes; lower limit, starting point, point of entry.
print (noun) – mark; level, stage.
Consumer Price Index (CPI) (noun) – The CPI looks at the basket of consumer goods and services and it measures the change in price of this basket over a period of time. To put it simply, the CPI monitors retail prices at a certain level for a particular commodity.
Wholesale Price Index (WPI) (noun) – The WPI looks at a basket of wholesale goods (goods purchased in large quantities by businesses directly from manufacturers with the intent of reselling them to retailers). the WPI tracks prices at the factory gate before the retail level.
index (noun) – an (economic) data figure reflecting something (e.g. price/quantity) compared with a standard or base value; pointer, indicator.
cool (verb) – lessen, moderate, abate, diminish, reduce.
month-on-month (adjective) – used to compare data for one month with that in previous months.
offset (verb) – even up, counterbalance, equalize, neutralize; make amends for, compensate for.
base effect (noun) – it relates to inflation in the corresponding period of the previous year, if the inflation rate was too low in the corresponding period of the previous year, even a smaller rise in the Price Index will arithmetically give a high rate of inflation now.
push up (phrasal verb) – increase, raise.
beverage (noun) – a drink, such as tea, coffee, liquor, beer, milk, juice, or soft drinks, usually excluding water.
deferral (noun) – postponement, stay, suspension, holdback.
soften (verb) – diminish, decrease, lessen, moderate, abate.
rein in (phrasal verb) – to control, restrain, restrict, limit someone/something.
Inflationary/price/cost pressures (noun) – the demand and supply-side pressures that can cause a rise in the general price level; cost-push inflation, hot-economy, deficit finance.
inflationary (adjective) – tending to cause monetary inflation.
pressure (noun) – demand.
headwinds (noun) – (in business) situations or conditions that make growth harder/difficult. Whereas tailwinds describe a situation or condition that will move growth, revenues, or profits higher.
excise duty (noun) – the taxes levied on the manufacture of goods within the country, (as opposed to custom duty that is levied on goods coming from outside the country).
cut (noun) – reduction, decrease, lessening.
sustain (verb) – continue, carry on, keep up, maintain, bolster up.
crude oil (noun) – the raw natural resource that is extracted from the earth and refined into products such as gasoline, jet fuel, diesel and other petroleum products.
basket (noun) – a group of something (taxes, investments, commodities, etc.).
for now (phrase) – for the time being, for the present, for the moment.
static (adjective) – unchanged, fixed, stable.
have — to do with (phrase) – be connected with something to the level/degree mentioned.
unstated (adjective) – undecided, undetermined, uncertain, not declared.
tendency (noun) – inclination, disposition, leaning, penchant.
yield (noun) – profit, gain, return, reward, revenue, dividend, proceeds, receipts.
government bond (noun) – sovereign bond; a bond issued by a national government, generally with a promise to pay periodic interest payments called coupon payments and to repay the face value on the maturity date. The aim of a government bond is to support government spending.
hit (verb) – reach a level.
fiscal (noun) – financial.
math (noun) – calculation, reckoning, tally.
come off (phrasal verb) – end up, finish up.
successive (adjective) – consecutive.
persistent (adjective) – continuous, constant.
Wholesale or Wholesale price Index (WPI) inflation (noun) – The change in the price index of the basket of wholesale goods (and no services) over a period of time is referred to as WPI-based inflation or wholesale inflation.
Retail or Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation (noun) – The change in the price index of the basket of consumer goods and services over a period of time is referred to as CPI-based inflation or retail inflation.
percentage point (noun) – the difference between two percentages is termed as percentage point. (for example: “Interest Rates Jump From 10% to 12%”. In this case, the interest rate increased by “2 percentage points” or you can say that the interest rate is increased by 20%).
augur well (verb) – bode, indicate, portend (a good outcome).
price stability (noun) – no (drastic) change in the price of goods and services in an economy over a period of time. It implies avoiding both prolonged inflation and deflation.
cope with (verb) – deal with, grapple with, handle/manage.
feed into (verb) – contribute to.
squeeze (verb) – have a damaging effect on something.
household (noun) – family, house.
obstacle (noun) – barrier, hurdle, stumbling block, impediment, hindrance.
impulse (noun) – (strong & sudden) urge/instinct, compulsion, need.
mutation (noun) – a significant and basic “alteration/variation” in the DNA sequence.
stoke (verb) – increase, raise, expand, amplify, escalate.
consistently (adverb) – always, each time, invariably.
pandemic (noun) – the worldwide spread of a new disease; The illness spreads around the world and typically affects a large number of people across a wide area.
onset (noun) – start, beginning, arrival.
potentially (adverb) – likely, possibly, probably.
wrecking ball (noun) – something that demolishes something else. (a heavy steel ball, usually hung from a crane, that is used for demolishing large buildings).
spending capacity (noun) – spending power; the ability of people by having money to buy products and services after paying taxes, etc.
amid (preposition) – in the middle of, surrounded by; during.
statement of intent (noun) – a formal statement that someone has a serious intention of doing something under specified conditions, and at a specified time. It is also called a letter of intent.
waning (noun) – decrease, lessening, weakening, deterioration.
spiral (verb) – increase/decrease dramatically & continuously.
geography (noun) – region.
monetary policy (noun) – monetary policy refers to the use of monetary instruments under the control of the central bank to regulate magnitudes such as interest rates, money supply, and availability of credit with a view to achieving the ultimate objective of economic policy mentioned in the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934.
stance (noun) – position, approach, standpoint.
soothe (verb) – alleviate, ease, relieve, assuage, allay, mitigate.