Currency

Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Governor John Mangudya holds a sample of a gold coin at the launch in Harare, Monday, July, 25, 2022.

Zimbabwe gambles with gold to curb soaring inflation

August 1, 2022Business, Economics and Jobs

This past week, the Zimbabwean government launched a gold coin priced at about $1,800, hoping that when people buy it, it will reduce the number of bills in circulation and eventually stabilize the Zim dollar. But some are dubious about the plan.

How money became ‘the most powerful metaphor’ in the world

April 23, 2021Economics

a house for sale in buenos aires argentina

Plummeting peso sinks hopes of first-time home buyers in Argentina

August 22, 2018Economics

New Dollar Bills Challenge

March 24, 2018Arts, Culture & Media

Running out of US dollars, Zimbabwe says it will print its own ‘bond notes’

September 15, 2016Economics

A man buys U.S. dollars in a currency exchange in Benghazi, Libya.

Even a local bank teller can’t be trusted in today’s Libya

May 17, 2016Business

Banking in a failed state is a risky business. In Libya, it’s hard to figure out who to trust.

What we learn from the money we touch

August 20, 2015Culture

Although we don’t have to contend as much with the hassles of bills and coins, another window into culture is being slammed shut.

An employee works at a garment factory, which exports products overseas, in Hefei, Anhui province January 19, 2015.

What might China’s currency devaluation mean for US consumers?

August 12, 2015Economics

China devalued its currency this week to make its exports more attractive. But how much more attractive will their products be on American shelves?

What can you buy for $100 trillion in Zimbabwe? Not even a candy bar

June 12, 2015Economics

Zimbabweans will start getting rid of their basically worthless local currency for a just a few US dollars next week. Residents will get $1 for every 250 trillion Zimbabwean dollars they turn in.

A pile of American two-dollar bills, which are relatively rare everywhere the currency is used.

Why are Ecuadoreans obsessed with the $2 bill?

April 29, 2015Economics

Journalist John Dennehy is obsessed with $2 bills — and so, it seems, are Ecuadoreans. While living in Ecuador, which officially uses the US dollar as its currency, Dennehy discovered that the bill is even rarer there than it is in the US, and it’s a prized good-luck charm to boot.