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Tag Archives: US

Does the ‘reserve’ dollar harm America?

  For many years  Lewis E. Lehrman and John D. Mueller have been calling attention to what they call the “reserve-currency curse.” Since some politicians and economists have recently insisted that the dollar’s official role as the world’s reserve currency is instead a great blessing, it is welcome that they have recently revisited the issue…
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A Debate with Allan Meltzer (Part 1)

Professor Allan Meltzer debates international monetary issues and The Money Trap with Robert Pringle   On 3/14/2014 12:57 PM, Robert Pringle wrote:   Allan, Thinking further about the international monetary system, I now find it difficult to conceive monetary stability being established in one country alone – even if that country is the US. This…
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Beijing sets out its stall

  Although the gloss has worn off the market’s initial enthusiastic endorsement of Beijing’s ambitious reform plans unveiled last month, there is little doubt they represent a major further move towards freeing financial markets – and promoting the international role of the RMB.   In addition to changes in how companies file for stock market…
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The Meltzer plan for world money

  Professor Allan Meltzer has for some years advocated a reform of international monetary arrangements based on a joint adoption by large economies or areas of similar inflation targets. This is a summary.   The US, the Euro, Japan and China (if it ends its currency controls) should adopt a common 0 to 2 percent…
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So what’s up?

  Apart from the nomination of Janet Yellen  ( a lovely, motherly person) to lead the Fed, what has happened since we departed for our summer/autumn long vacation? As always, the view one takes depends on your perspective. Are you the driver of a car negotiating tricky twists and turns, looking for traffic coming at…
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Are the political conditions for reform out of reach?

  Three major failures contributed to the global financial car crash • There was a failure of banking and bankers – imprudence and irresponsibility, tinged with instances of criminal behaviour, insider trading, mis-selling, deceit and fraud; • There was a failure of central bankers – they were seduced into assuming the self-stabilising properties of markets,…
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Fred Bergsten calls for monetary reform

Fred Bergsten of the Peterson Institute is the “enfant terrible” of US international monetary and economic debate. Fending off the passing years, it is a role he has played with great panache for the best part of half a century. Always at the centre of things, always provocative, frequently infuriating, he has, as head of the…
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How the international monetary system holds back recovery

  Ever since the end of Bretton Woods, exchange rate volatility driven by diverse monetary policies and diverse expectations about future exchange rates have been frequent sources of shocks to the world economy and national economies. The very existence of independent central banks with independent monetary policies is the common origin of shocks. The more…
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The Battle of Bretton Woods

Yesterday I kicked off a round-table discussion organised by the CSFI of Benn Steil’s new book which carries this title. This is what I said. Benn Steil starts this stimulating book by poking fun at those politicians and others who have, in recent years, called for “a new Bretton Woods”. They have all been disillusioned….
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A North Atlantic trade and currency zone?

David Cameron’s speech threatening to pull the UK out of the EU unless the other members agree to its demands may have started a process of withdrawal that could become irreversible. Although this outcome would be contrary to the stated objectives of the UK prime minister and British government, commentators on both sides of the…
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