EPISODE from May 2023: Renminbi v USD
In light of recent press howling about China and the US, this thoughtful discussion about the rational drivers of China's policies may prove useful.
China wants the world to accept the renminbi as a reserve currency. What are their reasons for suggesting an alternative to the US Dollar? Was Bretton Woods a mistake? Is Purchasing Power Parity a reasonable way to value a currency? Money is international but a currency is national; how many people care about that distinction? Has anyone ever gotten a date by using monetary theory as a pickup line? Is the paradigm of a "cold war" drawn from the Soviet-American 20th century headbutting a useful frame to examine the actions of the Chinese government? Has the Dollar's role at the core of the international financial system been a net positive or negative for the United States?
Tune in to hear James Fok's (https://jamesafok.com/) highly informed take on these important issues and Your Enlightentaining Host’s nostalgia over the bezant.