Inflation recently escalated to a 40-year high at 8.3%. For the 12 months ending December 2022, in the U.S. it was down to 6.5%. It's now back to 6.4%, but it's still over 10% in the European Union.

Please find two articles written in the last yearthat describe thecauses of price inflationand describe how it does or does not impact demand for products that consumers regularly purchase. In each case, determine if the price increase is justified or if it is the result of the concept of the "invisible hand" whereby providers of goods are increasing prices for personal gain at the expense of consumers.

Include in your comment what you have learned aboutInvisible Hand.Do we operate in a free market or is the market influenced by certain special interests? For example here is an excerpt from the Brennan Center for Social Justice regardingCitizens United.

"January 21, 2020will mark a decade since the Supreme Court's ruling inCitizens Unitedv. Federal Election Commission, a controversial decision thatreversed century-old campaign finance restrictions and enabled corporations and other outside groups to spend unlimited funds on elections."

Note: The invisible hand is a metaphor for the unseen forces that move the free market economy. Through individual self-interest and freedom of production and consumption,the best interest of society, as a whole, are fulfilled(Majaski, 2022)