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Hello, this is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I'm Rob.

And I'm Beth.

In this program, we're talking about money. And Beth, as the old saying goes, money makes the world go round.

You mean it's very important and lots of things couldn't happen without it? Well, we all need money.

But have you noticed how our money doesn't seem to buy so much these days?

Yes, I have Beth. It seems like consumers like us are being hit in the pocket at the moment.

And by that, I mean we have less money to spend.

Now, I'm no economist, but I know this has a lot to do with inflation, the increase in prices of things over time.

It's a big problem globally. And Beth, my question for you is about inflation.

According to one report, what was the annual inflation rate in Venezuela between November 2017 and 2018?

Was it a 130 percent, B1300 percent, or C1300000 percent?

I'll say B1300 percent.

Okay, we'll find out if you're right later on.

But let's talk more about money and inflation now.

Around the world, prices of things are rising more than normal.

And more worrying is that prices keep going up.

Two things in particular are increasing in price. Energy like gas and electricity and food.

These are things we need and depend on. So what's causing the rises?

There seem to be two main reasons, the COVID pandemic and the war in Ukraine,

which has reduced the supply in things we need.

And when things are in short supply, available in limited quantities, prices go up.

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