Price growth is usually limited in industries with intense competition. Inflation Inflation is a general rise in prices throughout the various sectors of the economy. In industries with strong demand or moderate competition, prices often increase by at least the rate of inflation. An industry's outlook for sales growth may be generally positive, but it may not be steady growth. Sales growth may vary around a trend for a number of reasons.
Fundamental demand is sustained demand independent of cyclical or seasonal factors.
Sensitivity to increases and decreases in real GDP Demand for all sorts of goods and services goes through a natural cycle of growth and decline in developed economies. This pattern of alternating recessions and recoveries is called the business cycle. There is often a seasonal pattern in demand for consumer products and services. Demand for industrial and financial products and services usually shows less seasonality. The outlook for a company's sales depends not only on the market outlook but also on its share of the market.