Originally Posted by tnrtinr

You are wrong - simply printing money does not devalue the currency. PERIOD. You are melding two concepts.

There are two things that will affect the value of the dollar - the supply of dollars and the demand for dollars. It is possible to print more dollars and have the value of the dollar increase, remain unchanged, or decrease depending on the demand for those dollars.

Printing money when the demand remains unchanged or is decreasing will cause inflation ceteris paribus. Ceteris paribus - Printing money when the demand for dollars is increasing will cause the 1. value of the dollar to increase, 2. stay the same or 3. decrease depending on whether 1. not enough money is printed to satisfy demand 2. the exact amount of money is printed as is demanded 3. more money is printed then the demanded

Money supply and inflation / deflation are TWO seperate concepts.

"Because money is used in virtually all economic transactions, it has a powerful effect on economic activity. An increase in the supply of money works both through lowering interest rates, which spurs investment, and through putting more money in the hands of consumers, making them feel wealthier, and thus stimulating spending. Business firms respond to increased sales by ordering more raw materials and increasing production. The spread of business activity increases the demand for labor and raises the demand for capital goods. In a buoyant economy, stock market prices rise and firms issue equity and debt. If the money supply continues to expand, prices begin to rise, especially if output growth reaches capacity limits. As the public begins to expect inflation, lenders insist on higher interest rates to offset an expected decline in purchasing power over the life of their loans."