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In search of a unit of stable global purchasing power

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  • Ho, Lok Sang

Abstract

This paper introduces an improved version of the "World Currency Unit" (Ho, 2000), a synthetic unit of account representing constant real purchasing power. If commodity prices and bonds are quoted in this unit while allowing settlement in any currency, real prices and real interest rates will become more transparent. We show that the real prices of commodities are sensitive to movements in the nominal exchange value of the US dollar, and that they are Granger-caused by movements in the US dollar's nominal effective exchange rate. The proposed unit has implications for efficiency and the stability of the international monetary order.

Suggested Citation

  • Ho, Lok Sang, 2018. "In search of a unit of stable global purchasing power," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 99-108.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:reveco:v:56:y:2018:i:c:p:99-108
    DOI: 10.1016/j.iref.2018.03.021
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Barry Eichengreen & Ricardo Hausmann & Ugo Panizza, 2007. "Currency Mismatches, Debt Intolerance, and the Original Sin: Why They Are Not the Same and Why It Matters," NBER Chapters, in: Capital Controls and Capital Flows in Emerging Economies: Policies, Practices, and Consequences, pages 121-170, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    2. Qin, Duo & Tan, Tao, 2009. "How much intraregional exchange rate variability could a currency union remove? The case of ASEAN+3," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 33(10), pages 1793-1803, October.
    3. Miller, Marcus H & Weller, Paul, 1990. "Currency Bubbles Which Affect Fundamentals: A Qualitative Treatment," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 100(400), pages 170-179, Supplemen.
    4. Irving Fisher, 1913. "A Compensated Dollar," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, Oxford University Press, vol. 27(2), pages 213-235.
    5. Nils Bjorksten & Anne-Marie Brook, 2002. "Exchange rate strategies for small open developed economies such as New Zealand," Reserve Bank of New Zealand Bulletin, Reserve Bank of New Zealand, vol. 65, March.
    6. George Hoguet & Solomon Tadesse, 2011. "The role of SDR-denominated securities in official and private portfolios," BIS Papers chapters, in: Bank for International Settlements (ed.),Portfolio and risk management for central banks and sovereign wealth funds, volume 58, pages 165-186, Bank for International Settlements.
    7. Hovanov, Nikolai V. & Kolari, James W. & Sokolov, Mikhail V., 2004. "Computing currency invariant indices with an application to minimum variance currency baskets," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 28(8), pages 1481-1504, June.
    8. Scott H. Irwin & Dwight R. Sanders, 2010. "The Impact of Index and Swap Funds on Commodity Futures Markets: Preliminary Results," OECD Food, Agriculture and Fisheries Papers 27, OECD Publishing.
    9. Ho, Lok Sang, 2012. "Globalization, exports, and effective exchange rate indices," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 31(5), pages 996-1007.
    10. Lok Sang Ho, 2000. "Towards a New International Monetary Order: The World Currency Unit and the Global Indexed Bond," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 23(7), pages 939-950, July.
    11. Masahiro Kawai, 2008. "Toward A Regional Exchange Rate Regime In East Asia," Pacific Economic Review, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 13(1), pages 83-103, February.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Synthetic unit of account; Inflation indexing; Real price discovery; Efficiency; International monetary architecture;

    JEL classification:

    • F30 - International Economics - - International Finance - - - General
    • F31 - International Economics - - International Finance - - - Foreign Exchange
    • F33 - International Economics - - International Finance - - - International Monetary Arrangements and Institutions

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