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Dollar
Hegemony
| Dollar Hegemony seems
to be a forbidden term in the financial press. It is rarely if
ever mentioned by pundits, journalists, or Wall Street analysts
yet as a force of nature it has been a cornerstone as to why the
US has remained the omnipotent global financial power in the
modern age. Put simply, the US has been blessed with the lowest
cost of capital of any nation on earth by virtue of the
dollar’s status as the world’s reserve currency. |

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Few understand exactly how it came to be or how it
endures despite our ever escalating trade and budget deficits.
We want to change that.
We all shouldn’t,
yet perhaps we do take for granted the dollar’s reserve status
because it’s the only thing we have ever known. Today, the ice is
cracking right beneath our feet as the US Dollar Index (the basket of
major foreign currencies vs. the dollar) has declined substantially in
recent years from 122 in 2002 to 72 today. Why? Because foreign
capital credits have opted for other currencies of countries offering
higher yields and not as encumbered with the staggering liabilities as
the US. This was facilitated primarily through the Euro, which now
offers global investors a bona fide proxy for a store of wealth. In
fact, the high exchange rate and relative stability of the USD for
decades are magical creations of a petro-dollar
hegemony condition that mandates that all oil produced anywhere
in the world by anyone must be paid for in US dollars. This mandate is
now eroding and should continue to put further pressure on the USD for
some time to come as Iran and other Arab nations begin to defy the
mighty US mandate.
Consider the
implications for a moment- most of the oil produced on earth has been
between non-US producers and consumers yet MUST be bought in US
dollars. This travesty was schemed in the early 70’s when foreigners
became weary of the accepting US dollars from a nation whose gold
reserves became depleted from our fiscal deficits. US
debts were in fact so substantial President Nixon was forced into a
deal that allowed OPEC to substantially raise and control oil prices
going forward as a cartel but mandated a monopoly of all purchases of
oil be paid for in USD. This
allowed the US to initiate a fiat currency program and get off the
gold standard of $35/oz to allow both gold and currencies to float
with the market. Naturally, gold went from the fixed $35 for many
decades to $850 in just a few short years and oil and gas prices
surged in price permanently. This
arrangement was worked out well for the OPEC nations, whose wealth has
risen trillions, and for us as well in a strange way, enabling the US to
incur trillions of dollars of debt to foreigners to finance our
deficit spending for the past several decades. Petro-Dollar hegemony
has served to insure that these large sums of foreign capital continue
to be repatriated back into dollar denominated assets (US government
securities). This cycle of repatriation of US Government securities is
what actually provides the “full faith” in the legal tender of our
currency and we would suffer tremendous consequences without these
foreign buyers. Few realize that the US simply prints paper backed by
our “word” that is paid back years later in ever-depreciating
dollars that have the effect of exporting inflation to the world as if
it was a commodity being loaded on a tanker. This scheme has worked so
well because of dollar hegemony, but what happens when the music
stops? Who wants to be holding dollars then? How do all Ponzi schemes
work out in the end?
Some countries, such
as Kuwait, have begun to peg their currencies away from the dollar and
many OPEC nations have formal plans for a new Arab currency backed by
oil to diversify out of the USD. These developments all underscore the
debilitating nature that our deficits are having upon our nation’s
wealth and sovereignty, and understanding the nefarious and
confounding nature of dollar hegemony is necessary to understanding
how these powerful yet subtle forces are impacting us today just below
the surface.
To that extent, I
have selected articles that can best explain those forces of dollar
hegemony so we can see how dependent our economy and way of life is on
maintaining the sanctity of the US dollar.
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US Defaults on Debt
- This two part series from Minyanville.com was selected for its brevity and clarity in explaining the complex loop surrounding dollar hegemony, fiat currency, and the approaching Kondratieff Winter. Each one is a mere two pages yet therein much is revealed. Part one focuses on an aspect of the exploding federal deficit that gets no attention in the mainstream press whatsoever- the daunting task of rolling over trillions in US government debt. Most troublesome about our debt is not the staggering levels but rather the urgency of its rollover. At present 71% of our debt is due within five years and 39% is due within one year! Think about that for a minute if you dare. In late 2000, the average maturity of US government debt was 70 months and in March of 2008 it was measured at a mere 53 months. This supports my previous rantings that the most daunting problem we face is not in our stock and bond markets but in our government debt market. Surely the looming rollover will have to be done at interest rates that are much higher than today.
The second part of the series explores the nefarious circle of dollar hegemony and fiat currency as they relate to our deficits and the status of the dollar as the world’s reserve currency. It asserts, as I have numerous times throughout this site, that foreign banks are forced to repatriate their US dollar holdings in US government securities to protect their own currency. They conclude as I do that the game is almost up and that the dollar would be far weaker vs. the yen and the Euro if not for their own foibles. This is precisely why gold should outperform all asset classes for many years as investors rue all Western fiat currencies not backed by anything of substance.
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How
does the US Dollar Defy the Law of Gravity? - A
lengthy (29 pages) article that outlines the basic forces that
account for the longstanding artificial strength in the US dollar
(Arab petrodollar monopoly and Chinese exports) through an
elaborate process of extrapolating the economic aspects of our
major trading partners to the price movements of their underlying
currencies. It explores the actions of the central bankers in
support of their policy directives and how those actions continue
to generate severe imbalances between these countries. Through
this examination a framework is presented to reflect how
vulnerable the US dollar is to maintaining its currency reserve
status it has enjoyed
for so long.
The
End of Dollar Hegemony -
US
Rep Ron Paul (R-Texas) speech to Congress retracing the history of
“dollar diplomacy” in the 20th century and how it
morphed into today’s unsustainable condition of dollar hegemony.
He lectures skillfully and objectively, parsing a wide range of
subjects including fiat currency, inflation and perhaps most
importantly on the essence of the “recycling” process of US
dollars which has been long ignored by his colleagues or the
financial press. Such candor on such a delicate subject is
especially noteworthy of an elected government official.
US
Dollar Hegemony Has Got to Go -
Though
written in 2002, it is nonetheless just as relevant today because
it examines why currency hegemony of any kind is detrimental by
its very nature. It explores the range of systemic faults
including the lack of global wage standards, fiat currency,
aversion to comparative advantage, and more.
Hysteria
Over Iran and a New Cold War with Russia: Peak Oil,
Petrocurrencies and the Emerging Multi-Polar World -
This
58 page expertly reports on all issues relating to the petrodollar
to frame the world we live in today in terms unlike you will hear
from the mainstream press. He recounts the establishment of the
petrodollar monopoly with the House of Saud and explains in great
detail how the enabling forces of central bankers, multi-national
oil companies, and sovereign governments work together to maintain
the hegemony. It is a fascinating look into a reality known as
common knowledge to few.
American Consumers Are Losing their
Crown - This brief article
calculated the magnitude of the residual decline in economic power
that would result in a dramatic decline in the dollar index. Since the
relative level of the dollar to other currencies is generally ignored
or misunderstood by most Americans, this article and its tables help
to quantify the impact that a dramatic decline in the dollar would
have on the purchasing power of Americans relative to the world, a
concept that takes on increasing importance as our economy continues
to become ever more susceptible to globalization going forward.
Rogers Says Dollar to be “Devalued”
- Commodity guru Jim Rogers recently weighed in on his two favorite
subjects- the US dollar and commodity prices, which of course are inversely related because all commodities are priced in US dollars and
rise when the dollar plunges.
He is now calling for a halt soon in the incredible rally seen by the USD
in recent months and a resumption in the secular bull uptrend across the
board in commodity prices. This view conflicts with the present market
mindset that assumes continued dollar strength from purchases of US
Treasury notes and bonds and continued weakness in commodities from
weaker global demand coupled with the ongoing de-leveraging by hedge
funds. While Rogers is known for his contrarian stances in the market,
his reasoning this time around is much different than before.
He is bluntly asserting that going forward our de-facto government policy
fully intends to debase our currency to jump start our weak economy,
never mind that such a perverse policy would destroy the purchasing
power of our citizens and could induce a hyper-inflationary environment.
While many would argue that our government would never tacitly support
such a policy, Rogers has made his mark by knowing better than the herd
and may be ahead of the herd once again.
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