lomiller
Penultimate Amazing
- Joined
- Jul 31, 2007
- Messages
- 13,208
Your point about borderless transfer of money is well taken though. An international, internet based currency is probably a tremendous convenience.
Currency exchange is easy enough already and there are MAJOR issues associated with borderless currencies if they are adopted on large scales. With a floating currency if relative efficiency favored trade in one direction this causes currency devaluation in the company doing the importing, and this currency devaluation makes their exports more desirable. Under this system, trade always helps both sides.
Under a borderless currency however, that isn’t the case. Eg under a gold standard if trade was asymmetrical gold would flow one direction possibly creating inflation in the country receiving the gold. Singe gold was never sufficiently abundant, however, the likely result would be a deflation spiral and reduced economic activity in the country that was exporting the gold. It therefor becomes important to horde gold and keep it in country to stabilize prices and economic activity, even at the cost of reduced trade. Even then, there would be regular depressions and large boom-bust cycles.
While a small amount of “borderless currency” may be ok, in general the current system of floating currencies and currency exchanges is a far superior approach.