Inflation is a bad thing. It hurts the poor, the elderly, the cautious, those on fixed incomes, and it erodes trust in the state and society. It benefits the “rich”, those with financial assets, the spivs and wheeler-dealers who thrive in times of uncertainty. Of course, it also cuts the real cost of debt — and that makes it particularly attractive at a time when governments and corporates around the world are piling on debt as though there is no tomorrow.