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Economic Report President

Economic Report of the President - The American Presidency Project

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Chart 7-3 International Use of Major CurrenciesAlthough official use of the dollar is below its peak in the mid-1970s, it remainsmuch more widely used than the other major currencies.Percent of official holdings of foreign exchange (end of year)8060U.S. dollar4020PoundYenMark01965 1969 1973 1977 1981 1985 1989 1993 1997Source: International Monetary Fund.TABLE 7-1.— The Importance of Major Currencies on theEve of the Introduction of the Euro[Shares in international use]CurrencyPeggingof minorcurrenciesForeignexchangereservesheld bycentralbanksForeignexchangetradinginworldmarkets 1InternationalcapitalmarketsInternationaltradeCashheldoutsidehomecountryU.S. Dollar .......................................................................... 0.39 0.57 0.87 0.54 0.48 0.78Deutsche mark .................................................................. .06 .13 .30 .11 .16 .22Japanese yen ..................................................................... .00 .05 .21 .08 .05 (2)Pound sterling ................................................................... .00 .03 .11 .08 .00French franc ...................................................................... .29 .01 .05 .06 } .15 .00Other EMS currencies ........................................................ .04 (2) (2) .00ECU .................................................................................... .00 .05 } .17 .01 .00 .00Other/unspecified .............................................................. .22 .15 .29 .12 .16 (2)1Shares add to 2.00 because in each currency transaction there are two currencies traded.2Not available.Sources: Various international agencies (including International Monetary Fund, Bank for International Settlements, andOrganization for <strong>Economic</strong> Cooperation and Development) and other sources.for granted. But the benefits from having one’s country’s currencyused as a unit of account should not be overemphasized. Invoicing U.S.imports in dollars does not necessarily shift the currency risk from thebuyer to the seller, as the dollar price sometimes can change quicklywhen the exchange rate changes.A second possible advantage is increased business for the country’sbanks and other financial institutions. However, there need be no firm301

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