How inflation stole Christmas
By John Middleton
2022 started with a positive bias. Covid was starting to look less scary. It had arrived in New Zealand, but vaccination rates were high, lockdowns were working and while the new variants were more transmissible, they were also proving less deadly. The hope was that we had at last got a handle on Covid.
Yes, lockdowns had disrupted life, working practices and global supply chains, but the feeling was this was now behind us and we could look forward to life getting back to normal. Government support and covid restrictions had meant that most parts of the economy were in good shape and while supply chains were disrupted (although stocks of toilet paper remained high!!) with ports clogged due to lockdowns and absenteeism, this did not feel overwhelming.
In hindsight, we were underestimating both the underlying global supply chain disruption and the impact of extended fiscal support on inflation.
But we believe it was the Russian invasion of the Ukraine on February 20, 2022 and China’s decision to extend its zero-covid policy and continue to impose rolling lockdowns that pushed the global economy over the edge.
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