Er Evran hinn nýji dollar ? Þessi spurning er að finna í blaðagrein á Times.com, þessi spurning er mjög áhugaverð, þar sem evran sem gjaldmiðill er stöðugt að styrkja stöðu sína og hefur staðist kreppunar mjög vel miðað við Bandaríkjadollar.
Is the Euro the New Dollar?
Europe’s single currency has come of age early. The euro turns ten on Jan. 1, a milestone for one of the most powerful symbols of European identity. It has already endured a rite of passage over the past few months, as the global financial crisis battered European markets yet failed to fluster the euro. And, like any debutante, it has its suitors: a string of countries lining up to dump their national currencies and join the euro zone.
It’s a remarkable achievement for a currency whose only global rival is the U.S. dollar. The greenback has over two centuries of history behind it. But it wasn’t until Jan. 1, 1999 that 11 E.U. countries locked their national currencies together into a fixed exchange rate. Three years later physical coins and notes became available, replacing national cash in a massive changeover operation. (Read TIME’s Top 10 business deals of the year.)
The euro zone is now 15 members large and has a combined population of around 320 million. However, many more people are directly affected by the euro, from would-be members whose currencies are already pegged to it, to countries like Montenegro and Kosovo whose effective national currency is the euro. France’s former African colonies also peg their common currency to Europe’s. That means around 500 million people rely on the euro or euro-pegged currencies.
European Commission President José Manuel Barroso credits the euro for delivering lower inflation, lower interest rates and greater price stability, and helping create 16 million jobs. More immediately, the euro is shielding member states in this time of economic turmoil, preventing a currency crisis in addition to the credit crunch. „The euro is sheltering businesses from the exchange rate volatility which has battered them in previous downturns,“ Barroso said on Monday. „To put it simply, the euro works.“
Restina af þessari grein er hægt að lesa hérna.