Word: dollarize
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...felt like the end of the world at the edge of the earth. It was 2002, and Argentina was in economic free fall. The peso lost 75% of its value against the U.S. dollar, and the nation had defaulted on almost $100 billion of debt. Bank deposits were frozen to halt panicked runs, and an enraged middle class took to the streets. The country went through five Presidents in just two weeks. Wall Street feared that the crisis, one of the worst in South America's history, would spread next door to giant Brazil--where the élite predicted financial...
Should the Chinese currency--now pegged to the U.S. dollar--appreciate against the dollar? China is under growing pressure from the U.S. to adjust the rate or let it float. The argument, made vociferously by the White House, is that the current exchange rate artificially cheapens China's exports, to the detriment of American jobs and the U.S. trade deficit. The trade gap with China is more than $100 billion. Naim called the current rate of $1 to 8.3 yuan "the world's most dangerous number." At issue, he said, is whether it will change in an orderly manner...
...amounts of foreign direct investment--an eye-popping $53.5 billion last year. For months now, American economists and politicians have been fretting publicly over whether China is overheating, whether it is the next Asian meltdown-in-waiting and how long its currency can remain so blatantly undervalued against the dollar...
...other fearsome exchange rate, of course, is between the euro and the dollar. The euro has taken the brunt of the dollar's depreciation--the greenback has dropped more than 30% against the euro over the past two years. Naim foresees U.S. competitors grabbing European market share "and a wave of European companies investing in the U.S., where they'll find companies 30% cheaper." Blanque calculates that each 5% appreciation of the euro against all currencies translates into a loss of European-GDP growth...
...sliding dollar is good news for Poland. "We're the only ones not complaining," said Sikora, president of Poland's Bank Handlowy w Warszawie. Reason: Poland's external debt is in dollars, whereas most of its exports are in euros, which means it benefits coming and going. "We dream about this situation," Sikora said. Poland is the biggest of the 10 nations set to join the E.U. later this year, and Sikora is hopeful that accession will boost growth. Poland's lower labor costs give it a competitive edge, and it continues to enjoy some foreign direct investment, although...