Historically, why were high inflation rates associated with high nominal interest rates? a. high inflation leads to a decrease in purchasing power and thus increases the attractiveness of investment over consumption in the short term. b. the real interest rate needs to be high enough so that individuals can expect their savings to have greater purchasing power in the future than in the present. c. growth in investment and savings is encouraged when consumers are judged to be overspending. d. individuals will spend more when they expect their investments to increase in value.