The difference between stock and flow is that stock is goods, assets, and liabilities that are available at a particular time while on the other hand, flow is the goods, assets, and liabilities that are available for supply at a given period.
Stock is the available quantity of any commodity at a particular time. These are the goods, assets, and liabilities that are ready and available at a particular time. Stock is static because it is ready for consumption but stored for a given time frame.
It is the number of economic variables which is measured at a particular time. It determines the level of economic growth of a country at a specific time. When it’s abundant, the economy is stable but when it is not abundant, the economy is unstable.
Flow is the goods, assets, and liabilities that are available for supply at a given period. Flow is dynamic which means it’s form can be transformed.
It is an economic variable measured over a given period. This is because flow changes over time. It determines the change in the economy of a state over a given period.
Comparison Table
| Parameter of Comparison | Stock | Flow |
|---|---|---|
| Nature | Static | Dynamic |
| Measured as | Quantity of economic variables at a particular time | Quantity of economic variables at a given period |
| Indicates | Level of economic growth | Rate of economic growth |
| Reflects | State of the economy at a particular time | Change of economy over an interval of time |
| Measured in | Units | Per unit time |
| Mutual dependence | Stock influences flow | Flow influences stock |
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What is Stock?
Stock is goods, assets, and liabilities that are available at a particular time. Stock determines the level of economic growth of a country based on its abundance. The larger the amount of stock, the better the economy, and the smaller the amount of stock the poor the economy.
It indicates the level of economic growth since it is an economic variable that is measured at a given time. It’s influenced by the availability of raw materials to increase the amount of stock available.
Labor on the other hand has a major role in balancing the level of stock in a country. The availability of skilled personnel increases productivity thereby increasing the amount of stock available.
It reflects the state of an economy in a given time frame. It is static which means it cannot be transformed.
What is Flow?
Stock is the goods, assets, and liabilities that are available for supply at a given period. It’s dynamic which means it changes over time.
It reflects the change in an economy over a given period and it is measured per unit of time. It determines the rate of economic growth of a country. This implies, when the flow is high, the economy is stable and when it is low, the economy is unstable.
Manpower has a high influence on the chain of flow. Flow, therefore increases job opportunities and balances the ecosystem of urbanization in a nation. It is an economic variable since flow changes over time. It affects the rate of economic growth.
Several factors influence flow. Political stability plays a major role because when there is peace, the flow will be effective thereby improving the economic state of a nation before when there is no peace.
Main Differences Between Stock and Flow
- Stock is the goods, assets, and liabilities that are available at a particular time while the flow is the goods, assets, and liabilities that are available for supply at a given period.
- Stock is measured as a number of economic variables at a particular time while flow is measured as a quantity of economic variables at a given period.
- Stock is static which means it cannot be transformed after it has been processed while flow is dynamic which means it changes over time.
- Stock reflects the state of an economy over a particular time when it is available while flow reflects the change in the economy over an interval of time.
- Stock is measured in units while the flow is measured per unit of time.
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Chara Yadav holds MBA in Finance. Her goal is to simplify finance-related topics. She has worked in finance for about 25 years. She has held multiple finance and banking classes for business schools and communities. Read more at her bio page.
