Gold as International Reserves: A Barbarous Relic No More?

Gold as International Reserves: A Barbarous Relic No More? PDF Author: Mr. Serkan Arslanalp
Publisher: International Monetary Fund
ISBN:
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 37

Book Description
After moving slowly downward for the better part of four decades, central bank gold holdings have risen since the Global Financial Crisis. We identify 14 “active diversifiers,” defined as countries that purchased gold and raised its share in total reserves by at least 5 percentage points over the last two decades. In contrast to the diversification of foreign currency reserves, which has been undertaken by advanced and developing country central banks alike, active diversifiers into gold are exclusively emerging markets. We document two sets of factors contributing to this trend. First, gold appeals to central bank reserve managers as a safe haven in periods of economic, financial and geopolitical volatility, when the return on alternative financial assets is low. Second, the imposition of financial sanctions by the United States, United Kingdom, European Union and Japan, the main reserve-issuing economies, is associated with an increase in the share of central bank reserves held in the form of gold. There is some evidence that multilateral sanctions imposed by these, and other countries have a larger impact than unilateral sanctions on the share of reserves held in gold, since the latter leave scope for shifting reserves into the currencies of other non-sanctioning countries.

Do Old Habits Die Hard? Central Banks and the Bretton Woods Gold Puzzle

Do Old Habits Die Hard? Central Banks and the Bretton Woods Gold Puzzle PDF Author: Eric Monnet
Publisher: International Monetary Fund
ISBN: 1498326773
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 32

Book Description
Why did monetary authorities hold large gold reserves under Bretton Woods (1944–1971) when only the US had to? We argue that gold holdings were driven by institutional memory and persistent habits of central bankers. Countries continued to back currency in circulation with gold reserves, following rules of the pre-WWII gold standard. The longer an institution spent in the gold standard (and the older the policymakers), the stronger the correlation between gold reserves and currency. Since dollars and gold were not perfect substitutes, the Bretton Woods system never worked as expected. Even after radical institutional change, history still shapes the decisions of policymakers.

Gold and the International Monetary System

Gold and the International Monetary System PDF Author: André Astrow
Publisher: Chatham House Report
ISBN: 9781862032606
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
"To assess what contribution, if any, gold could make to the current international monetary system in the wake of the global financial crisis, Chatham House set up a global Taskforce of experts in 2011. The Taskforce explored the advantages and disadvantages of reintroducing gold in the system and identified a number of possible scenarios for reform. For gold to play a more formal role in the international monetary system, it would be imperative that it neither hinders the system's performance nor creates unacceptable constraints on national economic policies; Although the discipline a gold standard imposes on monetary policy may have been helpful in limiting the reckless banking and excessive debt accumulation of the past decade, the rigidity of a fixed price for gold would likely have been a serious handicap with the onset of the financial crisis when a much more flexible monetary response was required; There is no clear-cut role for gold as a policy indicator. The historical behaviour of the gold price does not provide a particularly good indicator for either monetary or fiscal policy. In fact, since the financial crisis, the rise in the gold price has indicated the need for tighter policies which, if implemented, could have been deeply damaging; Gold can serve as a hedge against declining values of key fiat currencies, and can also be useful for central banks, but its role as a hedge is not cost free. Indeed, a major downside of holding gold is that its price can be extremely volatile. Also, it generates no yield, other than capital gains which are only realised when it is sold. Gold, therefore, can form part of a portfolio of assets that spreads valuation risk, but on the other hand, it is not very effective as a sole reserve asset."--Publisher description.

Central Bank Balances and Reserve Requirements

Central Bank Balances and Reserve Requirements PDF Author: Mr.Simon Gray
Publisher: International Monetary Fund
ISBN: 1455217905
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 57

Book Description
Most central banks oblige depository institutions to hold minimum reserves against their liabilities, predominantly in the form of balances at the central bank. The role of these reserve requirements has evolved significantly over time. The overlay of changing purposes and practices has the result that it is not always fully clear what the current purpose of reserve requirements is, and this necessarily complicates thinking about how a reserve regime should be structured. This paper describes three main purposes for reserve requirements - prudential, monetary control and liquidity management - and suggests best practice for the structure of a reserves regime. Finally, the paper illustrates current practices using a 2010 IMF survey of 121 central banks.

Resetting the International Monetary (Non)System

Resetting the International Monetary (Non)System PDF Author: José Antonio Ocampo
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 019871811X
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 296

Book Description
This volume provides an analysis of the global monetary system and proposes a comprehensive yet evolutionary reform of the system aimed at creating better monetary cooperation for the twenty-first century.

The Future of the SDR in Light of Changes in the International Monetary System

The Future of the SDR in Light of Changes in the International Monetary System PDF Author: Mr.James M. Boughton
Publisher: International Monetary Fund
ISBN: 9781557756046
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 474

Book Description
This book edited by Michael Mussa, James M. Boughton, and Peter Isard, records the proceedings of a seminar held at the IMF in March 1996 on the future of the special drawing right (SDR), given changes in the international monetary system since the inception of the SDR. The seminar focuses on the differences in opinion in the international community on the desirability or feasibility of an additional allocation of SDRs.

The Battle of Bretton Woods

The Battle of Bretton Woods PDF Author: Benn Steil
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691149097
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 480

Book Description
Recounts the events of the Bretton Woods accords, presents portaits of the two men at the center of the drama, and reveals Harry White's admiration for Soviet economic planning and communications with intelligence officers.

The Case for Gold

The Case for Gold PDF Author: Ron Paul
Publisher: Cato Institute
ISBN: 0932790313
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 341

Book Description


Lords of Finance

Lords of Finance PDF Author: Liaquat Ahamed
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 9781594201820
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 584

Book Description
Argues that the stock market crash of 1929 and subsequent Depression occurred as a result of poor decisions on the part of four central bankers who jointly attempted to reconstruct international finance by reinstating the gold standard.

The Rise and Fall of the Gold Standard

The Rise and Fall of the Gold Standard PDF Author: Sir Charles Morgan-Webb
Publisher: Hassell Street Press
ISBN: 9781014744333
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 208

Book Description
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