What is the difference between money and commodity money?
The value of fiat money is based largely on public faith in the issuer. Commodity money's value, on the other hand, is based on the material it was manufactured with, such as gold or silver. Fiat money, therefore, does not have intrinsic value, while commodity money often does.
Money is anything that serves as a medium of exchange. Other functions of money are to serve as a unit of account and as a store of value. Money may or may not have intrinsic value. Commodity money has intrinsic value because it has other uses besides being a medium of exchange.
Examples of commodity money are gold and silver coins. Gold coins were valuable because they could be used in exchange for other goods or services, but also because the gold itself was valued and had other uses. Commodity money gave way to the next stage-representative money.
The correct answer is: c) fiat money does not have any intrinsic value. Commodity money corresponds to money whose value is derived from the object that it is made up of. The value of commodity money lies in itself as well as the item of exchange.
Commodity money is an item used for money that has intrinsic value. Representative money is an item such as a token or piece of paper that has no intrinsic value, but can be exchanged on demand for a commodity that does have intrinsic value.
Definition of Commodity Money
Money is a type of asset in an economy that is used to buy goods and services from other people. A commodity is a physical item that is readily interchangeable with another item of the same type.
Commodity money is money whose value comes from a commodity of which it is made. Commodity money consists of objects having value or use in themselves (intrinsic value) as well as their value in buying goods.
Today, U.S. bills are backed by the Federal Reserve, but as fiat money. As economies grew and became more global in nature, the use of commodity monies became more cumbersome. Countries moved toward the use of fiat money. Fiat money is legal tender whose value is backed by the government that issued it.
Commodity money has intrinsic value but risks large price fluctuations based on changing commodity prices. If silver coins are used, for instance, a large discovery of silver may cause the value of the silver currency to plunge, resulting in inflation.
Glass beads: Gold: has been widely used as a form of commodity money across different civilizations and time periods. Its scarcity, durability, and desirability have made it a valuable medium of exchange. Silver: similar to gold, silver has also been used as commodity money.
What currency is backed by a commodity?
In the foreign exchange market, commodity currencies generally refer to the New Zealand dollar, Norwegian krone, South African rand, Brazilian real, Russian ruble and the Chilean peso.
Commodity money refers to a physical item such as gold or silver, that possesses intrinsic value, whereby its value transcends means of exchange.
The U.S. dollar, the euro, the British pound, the Japanese yen, the Albanian lek, and the Indian rupee are all examples of fiat money. Because it's a currency that is backed by an issuing government, fiat money usually provides some economic stability—but not always.
With commodity money it is very difficult for your money to loose all of its value as the commodity itself will always retain some value. Of course it is also much easier for the value of the money to change. If the amount of the commodity in circulation changes the value of the money changes.
The value of fiat money depends on supply and demand and was introduced as an alternative to commodity money and representative money. Commodity money is created from precious metals such as gold and silver, while representative money represents a claim on a commodity that can be redeemed.
Commodities are basic goods and materials that are widely used and are not meaningfully differentiated from one another. Examples of commodities include barrels of oils, bushels of wheat, or megawatt-hours of electricity.
Aluminium (option C /only C) is not commodity money.
Types of commodity money included animal skin, tusks, animal fur, feathers, shells etc. As these commodities were easily accessible to them and in abundance based on the natural surroundings they used them as commodity money.
Pros | Cons |
---|---|
Can generate short-term profits | Extreme volatility |
A hedge against inflation | Long periods of declining prices |
Diversification benefits | Holding physical commodities may incur storage fees |
Commodities don't generate income for investors |
Money is a commodity accepted by general consent as a medium of economic exchange. It is the medium in which prices and values are expressed. It circulates from person to person and country to country, facilitating trade, and it is the principal measure of wealth.
Paper money has perceived monetary advantages over gold-backed assets. Specifically, as it gives good economic control to the government. It could help in taming inflation and provide enough supply of cash to the market. Moreover, fiat money is easier to distribute and use in daily transactions.
Is gold a commodity money?
Gold is definitely a commodity, but it can be used in some similar ways to a currency. To understand how gold can be technically considered a currency, it is important to first define 'currency' and 'commodity'.
The word “fiat” is Latin in origin and refers to an arbitrary order issued by a government or other authoritative figure. When applied to paper money, fiat currency refers to the scary notion that our dollar has value only because the government says it does.
However, commodity money also has its disadvantages. One disadvantage is that the value of the commodity can be volatile, which can lead to fluctuations in the value of the currency. Another disadvantage is that it can be difficult to transport and store, especially in large quantities.
Inflation: One of the most well-known disadvantages of fiat money is the potential for inflation. Because fiat currency isn't linked to any valuable commodity, it can be produced in unlimited quantities, especially if a government is facing budget deficits or high levels of debt.
Virtual currency is a digital representation of value that functions as a medium of exchange, a unit of account, and/or a store of value. Is Bitcoin a commodity? Yes, virtual currencies, such as Bitcoin, have been determined to be commodities under the Commodity Exchange Act (CEA).
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