Reply to: Deflation

[AtW]

in places like Ghana - the Govt. sets the prices so the growers get a decent price and stops them being exploited...

[Dearnla]

I did 6 months at Cadbury's - oh happy times.
32 Creme Eggs for £3.50 - bliss....Free CDM if you ate it in the office, free Schweppes drinks from the fridge.

No wonder I'm now Diabetic!!

Oh and they buy loads of Cocoa beans direct from the growers in places like Ghana - the Govt. sets the prices so the growers get a decent price and stops them being exploited...

[DimPrawn]

Point is that some unknown trader can corner market - maybe this time it did not work, or maybe it did work and he made enough despite price drop.

Price of cocoa doubled in the last 4 years, so yes that is reflected in chocolate costs.

Having seen your photos online, I can only say that smaller, more expensive chocolate bars are to be welcomed.

[AtW]

Luckily, straight after this happened, the cocoa price fell by 10% in 5 days and is now well below where it was when this bloke apparently cornered the market.

Point is that some unknown trader can corner market - maybe this time it did not work, or maybe it did work and he made enough despite price drop.

Price of cocoa doubled in the last 4 years, so yes that is reflected in chocolate costs.

[Freamon]

Yes.

Quote: "The purchase was enough to move the entire global cocoa market, sending the price to the highest level since 1977, and triggering rumours and intrigue in the City."

Source: Mystery trader buys all Europe's cocoa - Telegraph

That guy will sure get his bonus and his local Porsche/Ferrari dealership will benefit, but you'll be paying for it every time you buy anything remotely related to cocoa beans.

Luckily, straight after this happened, the cocoa price fell by 10% in 5 days and is now well below where it was when this bloke apparently cornered the market.

So no, I don't think he's the reason chocolate is expensive.

[AtW]

Has anyone actually done this?

Yes.

Quote: "The purchase was enough to move the entire global cocoa market, sending the price to the highest level since 1977, and triggering rumours and intrigue in the City."

Source: Mystery trader buys all Europe's cocoa - Telegraph

That guy will sure get his bonus and his local Porsche/Ferrari dealership will benefit, but you'll be paying for it every time you buy anything remotely related to cocoa beans.

[Freamon]

Yes, let's blame the harvest - not some chap from the City who uses leveraged loans at cheap rate (check LIBOR) to buy all future supply of beans to make a killing

Has anyone actually done this?

Also, surely when it turns out the harvest is actually ok, the price of the futes will crash and said bloke in the City will go bankrupt?

[AtW]

Anyway it's not inflation pushing the price of chocolate up, it's the lazy Russians and their rubbish harvest.

Yes, let's blame the harvest - not some chap from the City who uses leveraged loans at cheap rate (check LIBOR) to buy all future supply of beans to make a killing

[Freamon]

Do the inflation indexes take weight into account

Yes.

Anyway it's not inflation pushing the price of chocolate up, it's the lazy Russians and their rubbish harvest.

[AtW]

Do the inflation indexes take weight into account, or is it just a bar of chocolate regardless of how small the bars are getting?

That's a very good point.

The answer however is that inflation measurement takes into account stuff like plasma TVs, price of DVDs etc rather than fuel, food, mortgages/rents, taxes and other essentials like chocolate

[AtW]

Don't Tescos already do that by adding 'fuel additives#

Don't know, I don't like Tesco and don't trust their fuel - BP's ultimate diesel was actually adding up 10% more milage and car felt more powerful, used it for the last 6 years until they closed local BP station - ******* Bob Dudley thinks he can make more money by exploring extreme weather artic with his new dodgy mates from Soviet Russia rather than selling fuel to British citizens

[amcdonald]

I bet petrol stations wishes they can reduce actual amount of fuel in a liter, or wait last time I refulled at Shell garage recommended for better fuels I had easily 3-4 liters more than usual billed

Don't Tescos already do that by adding 'fuel additives#

[TimberWolf]

Do the inflation indexes take weight into account, or is it just a bar of chocolate regardless of how small the bars are getting?

Anyone fancy a schooner of beer?

[Alf W]

You wait until they start making it to the disgusting recipe they use to knock out chocolate in America.

I won't buy the stuff since Kraft bought them and sold out all the workers.

[AtW]

I bet petrol stations wishes they can reduce actual amount of fuel in a liter, or wait last time I refulled at Shell garage recommended for better fuels I had easily 3-4 liters more than usual billed