This is the VOA Special English Economics Report.
A listener in Manaus, Brazil, Luiz Roberto Alves da Costa, has a question
about money. He asks why the American dollar is more stable or secure than most
currencies in the international monetary system.
Stability in the value of a nation's currency depends on foreign exchange
markets and economic conditions.
The clearest measure of stability is the exchange value of a currency over
time. Trading takes place on foreign exchanges around the world.
Since 1976, most major economies have used a system of floating exchange rates to value their
currency. This means the value of one currency is always changing in relation to
others.
People who travel pay the spot exchange
rate when they have to trade currency. If they wait long enough
at the exchange office, they might see the rates change a little within hours or
even minutes.
Companies and individuals buy and sell an estimated 600,000 million dollars
on the spot market each day.
The dollar is by far the world's most traded currency. And it is worth more
than most. The euro, however, is currently worth about one dollar and 27
cents. And the British pound buys almost two dollars.
A costly currency adds to the price of exports. That can hurt economic
growth. Trade deficits can also grow because a strong currency lowers the cost
of imports.
Inflation is another influence on the value of money. High inflation cuts the
buying power of a currency over
time.
The United States currently has a yearly inflation rate of about three
percent. The Federal Reserve considers this within acceptable limits.
This week the central bank left interest rates unchanged for the third month,
after seventeen increases. Economic growth has slowed this year and inflationary
pressures are expected to ease over time.
Even the strongest currencies change in value over time. But there is one
basic reason why the market for dollars is mostly stable. The dollar is the
currency of the world's biggest economy, worth twelve million million dollars.
Larger markets are generally more stable than smaller ones. And nations that
trade with the United States, especially in East Asia, continue to accept
dollars for the goods they sell to Americans.
But there are other issues to consider about the dollar and its place in the
world, and we will examine these in an upcoming report.
And that's the VOA Special English Economics Report. I'm Mario
Ritter.
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floating exchange
rate : 浮動(dòng)匯率
spot
exchange rate:即期匯率；（又稱現(xiàn)匯匯率，是買賣雙方成交后，在兩個(gè)營(yíng)業(yè)日之內(nèi)辦理外匯交割時(shí)所用的匯率）
buying power
: 購(gòu)買力
（來源:VOA 英語點(diǎn)津姍姍編輯）
