We monitor prices

On the first working day of the new year, official inflation data for the previous 12 months was released. Prices for goods and services included in the inflation basket rose by 11.9%. This means that ruble savings have depreciated by almost 12% (there is nothing to say about dollar "pods": for the year, each dollar brought its owner 2 rubles of net loss - another 7.5%). But even this figure is very conditional, since goods and services rose in price unevenly, and much depends on the purpose for which the money was set aside. For example, those who put aside part of their salary last year in the hope of building or repairing a dacha, watched with longing the prices of building materials, which for some items soared one and a half to two times in a year.

There is little consolation in the forecasts for this year. Despite the assurances of the authorities that they will cope with inflation, there are no grounds to believe that the situation will change radically for the better: after all, the factors that led to the inflation surge in the second half of last year have not gone away. Even the electoral attractions of the government's unheard-of generosity will continue, as the electoral cycle is not yet over.

In these circumstances, the question of the economic feasibility of saving does not look like complete heresy, and the consumer boom, which Russians selflessly indulged in (and which played a significant role in rising prices), looks quite justified. Moreover, buying goods or services on credit, despite all the interest and commissions, is sometimes more profitable and significant than trying to save up for them. This is especially true for large expenses like buying real estate, repairs or construction, when it takes a long time to save and it is impossible to predict how much prices will rise during this time.

And yet, despite the fact that money - be it rubles, dollars, euros or yuan - is rapidly depreciating in inflation, it does not hurt to have some reserve. The growth in real incomes of the population, which in recent years significantly (on average, about twice) exceeds the overall growth of the economy, has significantly expanded the circle of people who have the opportunity to save part of their income: for old age, for a "rainy day", for the education of children. At the same time, it is obvious that if the money just lies dead weight, losses are inevitable. Therefore, interest in ways to somehow compensate for inflation is growing exponentially every year.

Those who are not satisfied with the interest on bank deposits, which do not even compensate for inflation, are beginning to master the stock market and the market for collective investments. And here many can be disappointed. The times when whatever you buy - shares of almost any Russian company or shares of any stock fund, everything brought double-digit or even triple-digit annual returns, according to most market participants, are over. And already last year. By the way, the participants of the “people's IPO” of VTB were seriously burned by this, who still cannot sell the bank's shares bought last spring even at the price they paid for them. And the growth of the main ruble index of the MICEX for the year barely exceeded 12%. True, this did not prevent a number of funds from showing a yield of 30-35%, but the bulk lost even to inflation. Does this mean that it becomes impossible to protect your savings from inflation?

Not at all, on the contrary. The number of tools that allow you to earn on the growth of stocks, oil, gold, real estate and even collectible wine is constantly growing. It's just that investments - even collective ones, in mutual funds - require more and more attention and interest from investors. To make money on anything, it is enough to follow the elementary rule: buy low - sell high. And for this you need to at least keep track of prices.