2. Why Gold
The idea of the Gold Standard is to fix the quantity of
money by pegging its issue to a scarce resource –
gold.
Scarce resource relatively rare
With a known mine supply
± stable behaviour in the market
Malleable
Heavy
Difficult to counterfeit
Difficult to destroy
3. The Gold Standard’s
Classical Gold Standard 1815-1914
What most people may think the gold standard is?
Gold-Exchange Standard 1926-1931
{gold $} {$ £} {£ European currencies )
New Gold-Exchange Standard 1945-1968
Bretton Woods Agreement 1945
$ is the only key currency
4. Classical Gold Standard
Currency weight of gold
1$ = 1/20 oz
1£ 1/4 oz
The price of gold was fix
exchange rates between currencies were fix
5.
6. Gold-Exchange Standard 1926-
1931
Gold
$ = gold
£ = $
Eu currencies = £
The $ was redeemable in gold
The £ was redeemable for gold
(bars) only for international
transactions
Also the £ was redeemable by $
Other currencies were
redeemable in £
Does it means that the amount
of money in other countries is
link to the amount of dollars?
This blocks European citizens from gold
And allows paper and bank inflation
1929: was the amount of Dollars really link to the amount of gold?
7.
8. 1929 consequences for the Gold Standard
1931 Britain and other
European countries leave
the Gold Standard
1933-1934 US went out of
the classical gold Standard
United States remained, after 1934, on a peculiar new form of gold standard, in
which the dollar, now redefined to 1/35 of a gold ounce, was redeemable in gold
to foreign governments and central banks. A lingering tie to gold remained.
Furthermore, the monetary chaos in Europe led to gold flowing into the only
relatively safe monetary haven, the United States. (?)
9. New Gold-Exchange Standard 1945-1968
Bretton Woods Agreement
Dollar $ being the only Key Currency
World's currencies returned to the
new system at their pre-World War II
pars (exchange rates)
But after the war this rates were
overvalued and the $ artificially
undervalued (US exportations )
US government policies after WWII
were inflationary
By the early 1950s, the increasing
American inflation began to turn the
tide of international trade (US
exportations )
Gold
$ = gold
Other Currencies
=$
10. How it works? Classical Gold Standard
Country situation:
A country decides to print more paper money
Inflation imports exports
deficit in the balance of payments with other countries
Payments between countries are settle in gold
outflow of gold for this country
Will force them to correct the situation to stop the loss of gold
Bank situation:
A bank issues to many deposits (loans)
All the above happens
Foreigners (banks or gov’s? costumers?) call upon to redeem their
deposits
BANKRUPTCY
The fear of bankruptcy will make them behave
11. Money functions in the economy
1 - As a means of exchange / deference of
payment
2 - As a store of value
3 - As a unit of account
12. Pros
Very good store of value
Controls inflation
Compare to “paper money” that is inflationary
Deflation
Same amount of money buys more goods
Controls deficit as governments will try to avoid
outflow of gold
Force bankers to be more carful about the risks they
take to avoid bankrupcy
Stabilize the money supply
13. Cons
Deflationary crash
Favours the function “store of value” over “means
of exchange
Does not allow demurrage of inflation (because it
does not degrade)
Works against producers of goods and services
Creates inequality: it tends to increase even further
the privileges of those with money, allowing them
to accumulate for themselves even more
excessive wealth
14. Deflationary crash
If Gold Standard was suddenly brought back:
In today’s economy there is lots of debt (almost all money
is debt).
Because debt is fixed, deflation would make debts harder
to pay, debtors would need more goods and services to
pay their debts.
meaning if the Gold Standard were implemented
wholesale tomorrow, it would probably cause a
gigantic debt deflationary crash! So just as with the
Positive Money system, anyone advocating the Gold
Standard should have a gradual, stable transition to a
largely debt-free economy in mind.
15. Conflict between store of value and means of
exchange
Gold does not degrade over time (no devaluation)
Other goods do (clothes, food...)
Favours the user of goods against the producer of them
When money does not rust, those with money have a store
of value immune to deterioration, while those holding
goods do not. Hence those with money will have superior
bargaining power to those with goods.
Making money (gold) preferable to goods, will favour
people tendency to keep it (store of value) instead of use it
(exchange of means)
Making money and end instead of a tool
Gold gives money intrinsic value
As a mean of exchange, value is subjective
16. Gessel
Must money, as a commodity, be superior to
the commodities which, as medium of exchange, it
is meant to serve ? ... Let us, then, make an end of
the privileges of money. Nobody, not even savers,
speculators, or capitalists, must find money, as a
commodity, preferable to the contents of the
markets, shops, and warehouses. If money is not
to hold sway over goods, it must deteriorate, as
they do.
17. Should we go back to it? My questions
Which Gold Standard?
Classical Gold Standard
Would that be fair for countries with no gold?
What price will have? How it would affect market price?
Would it not benefit people owning big amount of gold (meaning
the already rich becoming richer?)
What about undeveloped countries with gold? Would they suffer
wars, as oil wars in order for western countries to control the
supply?
Gold-Exchange and New Gold-Exchange Standards?
Definitely NOT! Why should $ be the only Key Currency related
to gold?
With FRACTIONAL RESERVE LENDING policies,
would that really work?
18. Conclusions
With proper checks and balances in place the
benefits of ‘paper money’ over gold outweigh the
risks.
As Positive Money advocates via the Monetary
Policy Committee – manipulation of currency and
conflicts of interest can be held in check.
In conclusion then, ‘fiat’ money can accomplish the
aims of the Gold Standard (stabilising the money
supply) without its drawbacks, providing it is
made accountable to the public.
19. Quote: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7GJb0kufQI
Friedman on gold standard
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvBCDS-y8vc
Bill Still https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qz8Kh3FtuCY
Why the U.S. Left the Gold Standard: Origins, Benefits,
Drawbacks (2012)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEPBbaK8sVI
http://www.positivemoney.org/2012/03/fiat-money-or-gold-
standard/
Notas do Editor
‘paper money’ (all notes, coins and digital bank deposits which are not backed by any commodity)