September 2023
What you need to know and how to get ready after Janet Yellen warns Americans should expect a fall in the USD’s status as the world’s reserve currency.
In 2022, the U.S. dollar’s share in world reserves fell by 8%, leading some to wonder if the currency’s days of supremacy are over.
During a congressional hearing in June, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen offered her opinion on the subject and said that there is currently no currency that could replace the dollar.
China, Russia, and other important nations have reacted negatively to U.S. sanctions and foreign policy moves, possibly in an effort to dethrone the dollar.
According to Yellen, “it will not be easy for any country to devise a way to get around the dollar.” She did, however, issue a warning that as nations seek to “diversify,” the percentage of global reserves held in the dollar may continue to fall.
Since at least 80 years ago, the dollar has dominated international trade and money flows. This is not just because the United States has the biggest economy in the world; it’s also because the price of oil and other basic commodities is denominated in the dollar.
Recent occurrences, such as the Fed’s impulsive rate increases to combat domestic inflation, the trade conflict with China, and the sanctions imposed by the United States following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, have prompted more nations to urge for trade to be conducted in currencies other than the U.S. dollar.
India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), two major economic partners, have formally begun conducting business together. Recently, the Indian government revealed that Indian Oil Corp., the nation’s largest oil refiner, paid for one million barrels of oil from the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company using local rupees rather than US dollars.
Russian President Vladimir Putin revealed plans to establish a new “international currency standard” at the 14th BRICS Summit last year. China has been pressuring major oil exporters and producers to accept yuan payments, and Saudi Arabia, a major oil exporter, has declared it is “open” to the concept of trading other currencies.
Since the United States tightened its sanctions, even longtime allies like France have engaged in non-dollar transactions. In order to maintain its “strategic autonomy” and prevent turning into “vassals” of America, the European Union must lessen its reliance on the American dollar, according to French President Emmanuel Macron.
Yellen acknowledged that U.S. sanctions have led some nations to look for alternative currencies, but she was adamant that the dollar will continue to hold a dominating position.
She stated that “the dollar plays the role it does in the global financial system for very good reasons that no other country, including China, is able to replicate.” “No country is able to replicate our deep, open, liquid financial markets, strong legal system, and absence of capital controls.”
In response to the question of whether the dollar’s standing abroad is deteriorating, Yellen stated that she sees “virtually no meaningful workaround for most countries for using the dollar as a reserve currency.”
“Over time, we should anticipate a gradually rising share of other assets in country reserve holdings—a drive to diversify that is natural. However, the dollar is by far the most important reserve asset.
The U.S. dollar made up 58.36% of the world’s foreign currency reserves in the fourth quarter of last year, according to statistics from the IMF’s Currency Composition of Foreign currency Reserves (COFER). The euro, which made up around 20.5% of reserves, came in second.
A 2022 IMF document states that the Chinese yuan, which some believe to be the largest threat to the dollar, represents just 2.7% of reserves in the same time frame and that roughly a third of that amount is held by Russia.
Although there is little doubt that de-dollarization initiatives are under progress, most financial observers agree with Yellen that the dollar will be able to maintain its dominance.
The strategists at Eurizon SLJ Asset Management acknowledged the “exceptional” decline in the dollar’s market share in 2022 as a result of the sanctions imposed by Washington and its allies against Moscow, but they also predicted that “the dollar will likely continue to enjoy dominance as an international currency for a while longer.”
Fitch Solutions stated that it does not anticipate a “paradigm shift” any time soon because the U.S. dollar is the only workable choice for international trade.
Whether the dollar can be replaced or not, you might be concerned about how economic unpredictability, high inflation, and stock market turbulence might affect your own money, especially your retirement fund.
Why not draw ideas from foreign central banks? around the past year, central banks all around the world have switched from using dollar reserves to gold ones.
According to the World Gold Council, central banks increased their gold reserves by 228.4 tons in the first three months of this year, setting a new quarterly record.
In contrast to the U.S. dollar, which has lost 98% of its purchase power since 1971, gold is an excellent option since its value is steady over time.
By forming a Gold IRA, a sort of individual retirement account that enables you to invest in gold and other precious metals in tangible forms, such as coins, rather than stocks, mutual funds, and other conventional assets, you may get a piece of this golden action.
You may diversify your portfolio and maintain financial stability by choosing a gold IRA, and gold often offers lower risk than other alternative assets.
There are reliable businesses that will allow you to transfer your current 401(k) or IRA into this new account if you wish to start a Gold IRA.
