Money and Banking

What is it Worth? What is something worth? What is value? If everyone does not value something the same, does it really have worth?

Uses of Money Medium of exchange –Without money, we have to barter for goods Unit of account –We can use it to compare goods Store of value –Keeps it’s “value” over time

Characteristics of Money Durability - Lasts a while Portability - Easy to carry Divisibility pennies to the dollar Uniformity - All $1 are worth the same Limited Supply - Amount in circulation Acceptability - Everyone accepts the face value

Types of Money Commodity Money – Difficult to use as money. Salt used to be used to pay Roman Legionaries Representative Money – Based on the value of a certain commodity, like gold or silver. Limited to the amount the bank/government has Fiat Money – Because we say so

Banking History Central Bank or State Banks What standards? Gold? Silver? Cotton? Different banks all issuing notes Banking, speculation, Great Depression Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) Deregulation

Banking Federal Reserve (or “The Fed”) Fractional Reserve Checks Loans Credit Cards Debit Cards

Money Supply The money supply is the amount of “cash” that the U.S. has in circulation. The more “cash” available, the less it is worth, relative to Gross Domestic Product (GDP)