How the Value of Money Is Determined
Who Decides How Much Money Is Worth
Does the Government Regulate Exchange Rates?
By Kimberly Amadeo Updated May 23, 2019
The value of money is determined by the demand for it, just like the value of goods and services. There are three ways to measure the value of the dollar. The first is how much the dollar will buy in foreign currencies. That’s what the exchange rate measures.
Forex traders on the foreign exchange market determine exchange rates. They take into account supply and demand, and then factor in their expectations for the future. For this reason, the value of money fluctuates throughout the trading day. The second method is the value of Treasury notes. They can be converted easily into dollars through the secondary market for Treasurys.
When the demand for Treasurys is high, the value of the U.S. dollar rises.
The third way is through foreign exchange reserves. That is the amount of dollars held by foreign governments. The more they hold, the lower the supply. That makes U.S. money more valuable. If foreign governments were to sell all their dollar and Treasury holdings, the dollar would collapse. U.S. money would be worth a lot less.
No matter how it's measured, the dollar's value declined from 2000 to 2011. That was due to a relatively low fed funds rate, a high federal debt, and a slow-growth economy.
Since 2011, the U.S. dollar has risen in value despite these factors. Why? Most of the economies in the world had even slower growth. That made traders want to invest in the dollar as a safe haven. As a result, the dollar strengthened against the euro. It made travel to Europe very affordable.
How It Affects You
The value of money affects you every day at the gas pump and the grocery store. That's because demand for gas and food is inelastic. Producers know you have to buy gas and food every week. It’s not always possible to delay purchases when the price rises.
Producers will pass on any of their extra costs. You will buy it at the higher price for a while until you can change your habits.
When the price of gas or food goes up, you are experiencing the reduced value of money.
When the Value of Money Steadily Declines
Inflation is when the value of money steadily declines over time. Once people expect that prices will rise, they are more likely to buy now, before prices go higher.
That increases demand, which tells producers they can safely pass on more costs. They drive prices up more, and inflation becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.
That's why the Federal Reserve watches inflation like a hawk. It will reduce the money supply or raise interest rates to curb inflation. A healthy economy can sustain a core inflation rate of 2%. Core inflation is the price of everything except food and gas prices, which are very volatile. The Consumer Price Index is the most common measure of inflation.
When It Increases
Deflation is when the value of money increases. That sounds like a great thing, but it is worse for the economy than inflation. Why? Think about what happened to the housing market from 2007 to 2011.
That was massive deflation. Prices dropped more than 20%. Many people could not sell their houses for what they owed on their mortgage. Buyers were afraid that the price would drop right after they purchased it. No one knew when prices would turn back up.
True, the value of money increased. You received more house for the dollar in 2011 than in 2006. But families lost homes. Construction workers lost jobs. Builders went bankrupt. That's what makes deflation so dangerous. It's a fear-driven downward spiral.
How the Value of Money Has Changed Over Time
In 1913, money was worth a lot more. A dollar then could buy what $25.64 purchased in December 2018. The dollar lost value slowly. By 1920, it could buy what $13.02 did in 2018. During the Great Depression, money gained in value as a result of deflation.
A dollar in 1930 could buy what $14.69 did in 2018. By 1950, money had lost some value. A dollar could buy what $10.69 did in 2018. Money has been losing value ever since. In 1970, it could only buy what $6.65 in 2018 terms. By 1990, it was only worth $1.97, also in 2018 terms.
Bruce’s Big Call Dinar Intel Friday Night 10-23-26
Transcribed By WiserNow Emailed To Recaps (INTEL ONLY)
Welcome, everybody, to the big call. It is Friday, October 23, and you're listening to the new and improved big call on a newly migrated free conference call hd.com, which was migrated overnight to the Starlink satellite system.
So that's why we didn't have the call last night, (Thursday 22nd ) and that's why we're having a makeup call tonight. It's kind of like Friday Night Lights. It's like wear your Friday Night Day tonight.
Ariel:This is Going to be Historic, you all have to Change your Approach Now
10-28-2026
This Is Key
They cannot short the new dinar because the exchange happens programmatically inside the DTCC vault. ( The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC))
They cannot front-run the revaluation because the liquidity is gated through the Ripple trust bank.
They cannot seize the oil assets because the tokenization makes ownership transparent and transferable.
TNT:
Tishwash: President Al-Zaidi discusses with the International Trade Centre support for investment and the development of tourism, agriculture, and the digital economy.
Prime Minister Ali Faleh al-Zaidi discussed with the Executive Director of the International Trade Centre, Pamela Hamilton, prospects for joint cooperation and ways to benefit from the Centre’s expertise in supporting economic and investment development in Iraq.
During his meeting with Hamilton and her accompanying delegation on Tuesday, Al-Zaidi emphasized that Iraq possesses numerous investment opportunities, noting that the government's policy is based on openness to foreign investments and providing facilities and privileges for investors, as well as paying attention to developing the tourism sector.
Bruce’s Big Call Dinar Intel Tuesday Night 10-27-26
Transcribed By WiserNow Emailed To Recaps (INTEL ONLY)
Welcome, everybody, to the big call tonight. It's Tuesday, October 27, and you're listening to the big call. Thanks for tuning in, everybody. Again, we're on our normal Tuesday Thursday schedule now, and many of you, I think, may have missed our makeup call that we did on Friday because we did not get a chance to have a call on Thursday night because free conference call was transitioning to the Starlink satellite system.
So as hard as we tried, we couldn't get the call going, and we decided to start it on Friday night, same time, same station, but Friday instead of Thursday. And we had a lot of people, I think, that didn't get the memo, even though the message was out in various ways online, some people I think did not realize that's what we had done.
Good Afternoon Dinar Recaps,
GLOBAL FINANCIAL RESET WATCH: DTCC LAUNCHES TOKENIZATION SERVICE AS WALL STREET MOVES TOWARD BLOCKCHAIN
The launch of a new securities tokenization service by one of Wall Street’s most important financial infrastructure organizations marks a significant step toward connecting traditional markets with blockchain technology.
Coffee with MarkZ, joined by Bob Lock and Zester. 10/27/2026
MarkZ Disclaimer: Please consider everything on this call as my opinion. Be sure to consult a professional for any financial decisions
MZ: More factions disarm; Borders, smugglers. Bob Lock and Zester join as well.
THE CONTENT IN THIS PODCAST IS FOR GENERAL & EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY&NOT INTENDED TO PROVIDE ANY PROFESSIONAL, FINANCIAL OR LEGAL ADVICE. PLEASE CONSIDER EVERYTHING DISCUSSED IN MARKZ’S OPINION ONLY
NESARA GESARA QFS: The Transition Framework
10-28-2026
NESARA GESARA QFS
Telegram 10/27/2026
t.me/Gesara_QFS
NESARA / GESARA — THE TRANSITION FRAMEWORK
• NESARA/GESARA represents a global shift away from debt-driven economics toward fairer financial structures, including discussions around debt relief, tax reform, and sovereign economic control.
Emailed to Recaps~ Thank you David
Reset Intelligence: Bessent Opens Ripple's Conference.
By Reset Intelligence | @EXIT_FIAT
On Tuesday US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent opened Ripple's Swell conference in Manhattan, the day after Washington chartered Ripple's own national trust bank. He told the room where he thinks the dollar's strength now comes from: "We will keep our military umbrella, but I think more and more it's becoming a technology umbrella."
In the same room sat the firms that hold, clear and settle much of the world's money: CME Group, BNY, State Street and Barclays.
Good Morning Dinar Recaps,
GLOBAL DEBT RESET WATCH: AI FINANCING RISKS COLLIDE WITH AMERICA’S $40 TRILLION DEBT
The enormous cost of artificial intelligence infrastructure is colliding with rising borrowing needs, raising questions about debt sustainability, financial stability, and the future direction of global capital.
6 Attitudes That Breed Financial Failure
By Kentin Waits WiseBread
Financial success or failure is often the result of attitudes — both conscious and unconscious — that affect our behavior. No amount of budgeting and self-control can help us when we’re up against ingrained ideas about money management, spending, and debt. If you’re having a tough time shifting your financial behavior, maybe it’s time to change your mind about money. Here are six common attitudes that work against us financially.
System Implosion As Debt Spiral Causes Financial Contagion | Mitch Vexler
Liberty and Finance: 10-27-2026
Mitch Vexler of Mockingbird Properties returns to Liberty and Finance with a stark warning about what he calls a growing bond debt crisis that could threaten the global financial system.
Vexler alleges that trillions of dollars in school district bond debt are unsustainable, arguing that compounding interest and property tax assessments are masking deeper financial problems.
Ariel: Banks that Know about the RV Exist
10-28-2026
Your Marching Orders: This Is Your Mission Statement Private (The Code You Follow)
The Coward’s Exit, The Guru’s Grift, and Why Your Bank Teller’s Opinion Means Absolutely Nothing
THE BANKS THAT DO KNOW — YES, THEY EXIST
And here’s the part the doom-posters conveniently ignore: there are banks specific, identifiable, operational banks that have already acknowledged the revaluation internally and are actively preparing to receive Dinar holders post-RV.
Gold Steadies Near $4,000 as Oil Eases and the Fed’s Biggest Week Begins
Published: 10-26-2026,
Gold is holding just above $4,000 an ounce on Monday. That’s a partial comeback from last week’s slide to its lowest level since mid-July. Oil prices are pulling back today, and that’s taking some pressure off the metal. The relief comes right before Tuesday’s start to the Federal Reserve’s two-day policy meeting. Silver isn’t holding up as well. It’s giving back an early morning gain and trailing gold into the decision, and that’s pushed the gold-silver ratio to its highest level in months.
Plan B Options for folks on Social Security
Notes From the Field By James Hickman (Simon Black / Sovereign Man) October 27, 2026
In the early morning hours of February 7, 1937, a young American named Stirling Dickinson got off a train in central Mexico and rode into San Miguel de Allende on a mule-drawn cart.
He and a Princeton classmate were months into a trip around Mexico looking for a quiet place to write, and a Mexican opera singer had told them to try San Miguel.
The Dollar Is Being Quietly Dismantled Ft. Andy Schectman
Kinesis Money: 10-26-2026
In this week’s Live from the Vault, Andrew Maguire is joined by Andy Schectman to discuss how the dollar’s reserve status is being quietly dismantled, as sovereign buyers accumulate gold at a pace that is leaving Western investors far behind.
The two experts examine why physical silver remains the most undervalued asset in the current monetary environment, and what is quietly building inside the US financial system that most investors have yet to recognise - or prepare for.
TNT:
Tishwash: An economist warns of a "cost of living setback" due to exchange rate volatility.
Economic expert Abdul Rahman Al-Mashhadani warned on Monday of the significant negative repercussions of exchange rate instability and the current market turmoil. He emphasized that relying on stopgap solutions and manipulating the currency directly harms citizens' purchasing power and is detrimental to the economy.
In a statement to the Information Agency, Al-Mashhadani said, "The true salvation of the Iraqi economy does not lie in changing the exchange rate or raising the price of the dollar, as these measures may provide quick and temporary liquidity to the state treasury, but they do not constitute financial reform in themselves without comprehensive strategic plans."
Currency Reform Before Removing Zeros
Baghdad/Iraq Observer As discussions resurface regarding the future of the Iraqi currency and the possibility of removing zeros or replacing the dinar, the importance of prioritizing economic and monetary policies as a foundation for any future reform measures is paramount.
Good Afternoon Dinar Recaps,
GLOBAL CURRENCY RESET WATCH: DOLLAR STRENGTHENS AS YUAN HOLDS NEAR FOUR-YEAR HIGH
The dollar is gaining ground ahead of major central-bank decisions while China’s yuan remains near a four-year high, highlighting the competing forces shaping global currency markets.
Ariel: Ripple is Becoming a Bank
10-26-2026
This Is Extremely Huge & Important:
The USOCC granting a National Trust Charter to Ripple is not about “crypto legitimacy.” It is about giving the US government a compliant stablecoin issuer with federal supervision that can be weaponized for the currency conversion operation.
RLUSD is not a competitor to USDC or USDT. It is the enforcement mechanism.
Rafidain Bank Starts Second Round Of Salary Advances
2026-10-28 02:25 Shafaq News- Baghdad Iraq’s state-owned Rafidain Bank has opened applications for a second round of electronic loans for employees and retirees, the bank said Wednesday. Applicants must receive their salaries through Rafidain Bank and hold a Rafidain card. They can apply through the SuperQi app, a digital financial services platform developed by Iraqi payment company Qi Card, without visiting bank branches. All applications are subject to the bank’s lending requirements.