The U.S. dollar was the most common currency in foreign exchange reserves in 2023, comprising more than three times the amount of the euro in global reserves that year. This total peaked in 2015, partly due to the strength of the dollar during the Eurozone crisis. The share of the U.S. dollar has lost since to the Japanese yen and euro, as well as other currencies. Why do foreign exchange reserves matter? When countries with different currencies export goods, they must agree on a currency for payment. As a result, countries hold currency reserves worth trillions of U.S. dollars. After World War II, the U.S. dollar itself became the international currency in the Bretton Woods Agreement and is thus the most common currency for international payments. The United States Treasury is also seen by most as risk-free, giving the country a low-risk premium. For this reason, countries hold U.S. dollars in reserve because the currency holds value relatively well eventually. China and currency reserves Since 2016, the International Monetary Fund has included the Chinese renminbi (yuan) as part of the Special Drawing Rights (SDR) basket. This decision recognized the influence of the renminbi as a reserve currency, particularly in several Asian countries. China also holds significant foreign exchange reserves itself, funded by its large positive trade balance.

The DXY decreased 0.1629 or 0.16% to 104.3841 on Thursday March 27 from 104.5470 in the previous trading session. United States Dollar - values, historical data, forecasts and news - updated on March of 2025.

The Federal Reserve's balance sheet has undergone significant changes since 2007, reflecting its response to major economic crises. From a modest 0.9 trillion U.S. dollars at the end of 2007, it ballooned to approximately 6.76 trillion U.S. dollars by March 2025. This dramatic expansion, particularly during the 2008 financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic - both of which resulted in negative annual GDP growth in the U.S. - showcases the Fed's crucial role in stabilizing the economy through expansionary monetary policies. Impact on inflation and interest rates The Fed's expansionary measures, while aimed at stimulating economic growth, have had notable effects on inflation and interest rates. Following the quantitative easing in 2020, inflation in the United States reached eight percent in 2022, the highest since 1991. However, by November 2024, inflation had declined to 2.7 percent. Concurrently, the Federal Reserve implemented a series of interest rate hikes, with the rate peaking at 5.33 percent in August 2023, before the first rate cut since September 2021 occurred in September 2024. Financial implications for the Federal Reserve The expansion of the Fed's balance sheet and subsequent interest rate hikes have had significant financial implications. In 2023, the Fed reported a negative net income of 114.3 billion U.S. dollars, a stark contrast to the 58.84 billion U.S. dollars profit in 2022. This unprecedented shift was primarily due to rapidly rising interest rates, which caused the Fed's interest expenses to soar to over 281 billion U.S. dollars in 2023. Despite this, the Fed's net interest income on securities acquired through open market operations reached a record high of 174.53 billion U.S. dollars in the same year.

This statistic shows the cumulative economic cost of lost school years in Syria due to the civil war, from 2011 to 2015. As of 2015, an estimated 16.5 billion U.S. dollars was lost from the economy from lost years of education, at all levels, due to the civil war.

In 2023, the gross federal debt in the United States amounted to around 93,500 U.S. dollars per capita. This is a moderate increase from the previous year, when the per capita national debt amounted to about 92,528 U.S. dollars. The total debt accrued by the U.S. annually can be accessed here. Federal debt of the United States The level of national debt held by the United States government has risen sharply in the years following the Great Recession. Federal debt is the amount of debt the federal government owes to creditors who hold assets in the form of debt securities. As with individuals and consumers, there is a common consensus among economists that holding debt is not necessarily problematic for government so long as the public debt is held at a sustainable level. Although there is no agreed upon ratio of debt to gross domestic product, the increasing debt held by the Federal Reserve has become a major part of the political discourse in the United States. Politics and the national debt In recent years, debate over the debt ceiling has been of concern to domestic politicians, the owners of federal debt, and global economy as a whole. The debt ceiling is a legislated maximum amount that national debt can reach intended to impose a degree of fiscal prudence on incumbent governments. However, as national debt has grown the debt ceiling has been reached, thus forcing legislative action by Congress. In both 2011 and 2013, new legislation was passed by Congress allowing the debt ceiling to be raised. The Budget Control Act of 2011 and the No Budget, No Pay Act of 2013 successively allowed the government to avoid defaulting on national debt and therefore avert a potential economic crisis.

The statistic shows the national debt of the United States from 2019 to 2023, with projections up until 2029. The amount of the debt of the United States amounted to around 32.91 trillion U.S. dollars in 2023. National debt of the United States National debt in the United States is a topic of much debate and controversy, primarily due to large amounts of unnecessary spending. Despite the fact that the United States had the highest gross domestic product (GDP) in the world in 2016, along with being one of the most developed powerhouses in the world, the country suffers in many economical aspects. When analyzing the country’s imports and exports, the United States has recorded a trade deficit for more than a decade as of 2015, meaning that its imports exceeded its exports every year. However, despite being significantly affected by the world economic crisis in 2008, the country’s trade balance noticeably improved in 2009, almost halving the country’s total trade deficit. An economical aspect that did not improve during the world economic crisis was the country’s unemployment rate. The number of unemployed in the United States increased greatly in 2009 and continued to rise in 2010, however finally stabilized in the following years and has since declined yearly. When considering the total population of the United States, which amounted to roughly 322 million in 2015, a large percentage of citizens, who are capable of work, have been left without a job for roughly 7 years.

Social services provision is countercyclical; it proliferates during economic downturns and periods of crisis when assistance and funding are most needed. The pandemic was one such crisis. It exacerbated the need for social assistance, including family counseling and crisis intervention services. Federal funding from the CARES Act supported the funding, benefiting nonprofit establishments and those qualified for government funds, supporting revenue volatility that rose from low to near-high levels, with demand experiencing a significant jump. The industry quickly adapted to meet demand because of the fragmented nature of service provision and the diversity of services offered (counseling, rehabilitation, shelter and food, crisis intervention and self-help). It expanded with growth in the number of establishments and employment. As the drop in the unemployment rate and gains in per capita disposable income offset the drop in federal funding for social services later in the period, industry-wide revenue is expected to grow at a CAGR of 6.5%, reaching $73.1 billion in 2025, including a revenue gain of 2.6% in 2025 alone. Advances in the quality and scope of telehealth have impacted industry costs, competition and services. The ability to conduct counseling sessions remotely reduces service interruption from cancellations or missed appointments, saving revenue. Telehealth innovations permit the expansion of markets, leading to economies of scale. Increased familiarity with telehealth has encouraged remote services and spurred entry, heightening competition while bringing needed services to underserved locations. Developments in artificial intelligence applications strengthen the quality of services by offering immediate strategies to clients when live respondents are unavailable. The industry is poised for growth but at a slower pace. Poverty and crime rates are forecast to drop, dampening the need for some services. The declining unemployment rate and increasing per capita disposable income will positively impact consumers’ discretionary funds. Telehealth options are expanding, but the impact of competition for skilled workers and operations costs are expected to climb and erode profit. With some reduction expected in social services expenditures - barring any significant shift in government policy away from programs that provide crisis services or drastic declines in funding for other industry services - industry revenue is expected to expand at a CAGR of 1.3% through 2030 to an estimated $78.0 billion.

The USDRUB decreased 0.6990 or 0.83% to 83.9215 on Wednesday March 26 from 84.6205 in the previous trading session. Russian Ruble - values, historical data, forecasts and news - updated on March of 2025.

In March 2024 Bitcoin BTC reached a new all-time high with prices exceeding 73000 USD marking a milestone for the cryptocurrency market This surge was due to the approval of Bitcoin exchange-traded funds ETFs in the United States allowing investors to access Bitcoin without directly holding it This development increased Bitcoin’s credibility and brought fresh demand from institutional investors echoing previous price surges in 2021 when Tesla announced its 15 billion investment in Bitcoin and Coinbase was listed on the Nasdaq By the end of 2022 Bitcoin prices dropped sharply to 15000 USD following the collapse of cryptocurrency exchange FTX and its bankruptcy which caused a loss of confidence in the market By August 2024 Bitcoin rebounded to approximately 64178 USD but remained volatile due to inflation and interest rate hikes Unlike fiat currency like the US dollar Bitcoin’s supply is finite with 21 million coins as its maximum supply By September 2024 over 92 percent of Bitcoin had been mined Bitcoin’s value is tied to its scarcity and its mining process is regulated through halving events which cut the reward for mining every four years making it harder and more energy-intensive to mine The next halving event in 2024 will reduce the reward to 3125 BTC from its current 625 BTC The final Bitcoin is expected to be mined around 2140 The energy required to mine Bitcoin has led to criticisms about its environmental impact with estimates in 2021 suggesting that one Bitcoin transaction used as much energy as Argentina Bitcoin’s future price is difficult to predict due to the influence of large holders known as whales who own about 92 percent of all Bitcoin These whales can cause dramatic market swings by making large trades and many retail investors still dominate the market While institutional interest has grown it remains a small fraction compared to retail Bitcoin is vulnerable to external factors like regulatory changes and economic crises leading some to believe it is in a speculative bubble However others argue that Bitcoin is still in its early stages of adoption and will grow further as more institutions and governments recognize its potential as a hedge against inflation and a store of value 2024 has also seen the rise of Bitcoin Layer 2 technologies like the Lightning Network which improve scalability by enabling faster and cheaper transactions These innovations are crucial for Bitcoin’s wider adoption especially for day-to-day use and cross-border remittances At the same time central bank digital currencies CBDCs are gaining traction as several governments including China and the European Union have accelerated the development of their own state-controlled digital currencies while Bitcoin remains decentralized offering financial sovereignty for those who prefer independence from government control The rise of CBDCs is expected to increase interest in Bitcoin as a hedge against these centralized currencies Bitcoin’s journey in 2024 highlights its growing institutional acceptance alongside its inherent market volatility While the approval of Bitcoin ETFs has significantly boosted interest the market remains sensitive to events like exchange collapses and regulatory decisions With the limited supply of Bitcoin and improvements in its transaction efficiency it is expected to remain a key player in the financial world for years to come Whether Bitcoin is currently in a speculative bubble or on a sustainable path to greater adoption will ultimately be revealed over time.

Ethereum's price history suggests that that crypto was worth significantly less in 2022 than during late 2021, although nowhere near the lowest price recorded. Much like Bitcoin (BTC), the price of ETH went up in 2021 but for different reasons altogether: Ethereum, for instance, hit the news when a digital art piece was sold as the world's most expensive NFT for over 38,000 ETH - or 69.3 million U.S. dollars. Unlike Bitcoin - of which the price growth was fueled by the IPO of the U.S.' biggest crypto trader Coinbase - the rally on Ethereum came from technological developments that caused much excitement among traders. First, the so-called 'Berlin update' rolled out on the Ethereum network in April 2021, an update which would eventually lead to the Ethereum Merge in 2022 and reduced ETH gas prices - or reduced transaction fees. The collapse of FTX in late 2022, however, changed much for the cryptocurrency. As of March 25, 2025, Ethereum was worth 2,067.76 U.S. dollars - significantly less than the 4,400 U.S. dollars by the end of 2021.Ethereum's future and the DeFi industry Price developments on Ethereum are difficult to predict, but cannot be seen without the world of DeFi - or Decentralized Finance. This industry used technology to remove intermediaries between parties in a financial transaction. One example includes crypto wallets such as Coinbase Wallet that grew in popularity in recent years, with other examples including smart contractor Uniswap, Maker (responsible for stablecoin DAI), money lender Dharma and market protocol Compound. Ethereum's future developments are tied with this industry: Unlike Bitcoin and Ripple, Ethereum is technically not a currency but an open-source software platform for blockchain applications - with Ether being the cryptocurrency that is used inside the Ethereum network. Essentially, Ethereum facilitates DeFi - meaning that if DeFi does well, so does Ethereum.NFTs: the most well-known application of EthereumNFTs or non-fungible tokens grew nearly ten-fold between 2018 and 2020, as can be seen in the market cap of NFTs worldwide. These digital blockchain assets can essentially function as a unique code connected to a digital file, allowing to distinguish the original file from any potential copies. This application is especially prominent in crypto art, although there are other applications: gaming, sports and collectibles are other segments where NFT sales occur.

As of January 2025, the largest all-time bankruptcy in the United States remained Lehman Brothers. The New York-based investment bank had assets worth 691 billion U.S. dollars when it filed for bankruptcy on September 15, 2008. This event was one of the major points in the timeline of the Great Recession, as it was the first time a bank of its size had failed and had a domino effect on the global banking sector, as well as wiping almost five percent of the S&P 500 in one day. Bank failures in the U.S. In March 2023, for the first time since 2021, two banks collapsed in the United States. Both bank failures made the list of largest bankruptcies in terms of total assets lost: The failure of Silicon Valley Bank amounted to roughly 209 billion U.S. dollars worth of assets lost, while Signature Bank had approximately 110.4 billion U.S. dollars when it collapsed. These failures mark the second- and the third-largest bank failures in the U.S. since 2001. Unprofitable banks in the U.S. The collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank painted an alarming picture of the U.S. banking industry. In reality, however, the state of the industry was much better in 2022 than in earlier periods of economic downturns. The share of unprofitable banks, for instance, was 3.4 percent in 2022, which was an increase compared to 2021, but remained well below the share of unprofitable banks in 2020, let alone during the global financial crisis in 2008. The share of unprofitable banks in the U.S. peaked in 2009, when almost 30 percent of all FDIC-insured commercial banks and savings institutions were unprofitable.

In 2018, Germany’s GDP peaked at around four billion U.S. dollars, the highest GDP the country has reported in decades. It is predicted to grow towards 5.57 billion by 2029. Germany has the fourth-largest GDP in the world, after the United States, China, and Japan. The national debt of Germany has steadily been falling since 2012 and is now about a quarter of the size of Japan’s and half that of the United States. Development of GDP per capita Gross domestic product per capita in Germany has been increasing since 2015 and experienced its last period of decline between the mid-nineties and early noughties. In 2001, GDP per capita was the lowest it had been since the early nineties, but more than doubled by the time of the financial crisis in 2008. GDP per capita fluctuated throughout the subsequent decade, before reaching around 48,000 U.S. dollars in 2018. Largest economic sectors The service sector generates the highest share of GDP in Germany at nearly 70 percent. Finance and telecommunications are a large part of the service sector, as well as tourism – including hospitality and accommodation. Roughly a quarter of GDP currently comes from the production industry, not including construction. Agriculture, fishing, and forestry make up less than one percent.

In 2019, Venezuela’s estimated gross domestic product (GDP) per capita dropped to 2,624.41 U.S. dollars from 3,529.72 U.S. dollars the year before. the country's GDP has been on a continuous downswing for about a decade now - in 2010, it amounted to more than 11,000 U.S. dollars, and seemed to recover from a sudden slump again in 2016, before decreasing rapidly ever since. GDP per capita is a measurement of a country’s economic output that accounts for its number of people, thus making it a good measurement of a country’s standard of living.

A time of economic hardships

Currently, a major economic crisis is shaking Venezuela, resulting in hyperinflation, food and water shortages, and unemployment. Venezuela’s inflation rate has skyrocketed to over 900,000 percent in 2018, and the economy is suffering, with the Venezuelan GDP growth decreasing substantially each year since 2014.

A population affected by instability

In response to the economic and political climate, many are leaving the country for places such as Colombia, Peru, and Ecuador, with hopes for more stability and better economic prospects. Due in part to this, Venezuela’s population growth has decreased consistently over the last five years: In 2019, the country’s population was around 28 million inhabitants - a figure that is estimated to decrease further in the future.

The statistic shows the gross domestic product (GDP) of the United States from 1987 to 2023, with projections up until 2029. The gross domestic product of the United States in 2023 amounted to around 27.72 trillion U.S. dollars. The United States and the economy The United States’ economy is by far the largest in the world; a status which can be determined by several key factors, one being gross domestic product: A look at the GDP of the main industrialized and emerging countries shows a significant difference between US GDP and the GDP of China, the runner-up in the ranking, as well as the followers Japan, Germany and France. Interestingly, it is assumed that China will have surpassed the States in terms of GDP by 2030, but for now, the United States is among the leading countries in almost all other relevant rankings and statistics, trade and employment for example. See the U.S. GDP growth rate here. Just like in other countries, the American economy suffered a severe setback when the economic crisis occurred in 2008. The American economy entered a recession caused by the collapsing real estate market and increasing unemployment. Despite this, the standard of living is considered quite high; life expectancy in the United States has been continually increasing slightly over the past decade, the unemployment rate in the United States has been steadily recovering and decreasing since the crisis, and the Big Mac Index, which represents the global prices for a Big Mac, a popular indicator for the purchasing power of an economy, shows that the United States’ purchasing power in particular is only slightly lower than that of the euro area.

The statistic shows gross domestic product (GDP) in Iceland from 1987 to 2023, with projections up until 2029. Gross domestic product (GDP) denotes the aggregate value of all services and goods produced within a country in any given year. GDP is an important indicator of a country's economic power. In 2023, Iceland's gross domestic product amounted to around 31.33 billion U.S. dollars. Iceland's recovery Iceland's gross dometic product has increased dramatically since 2010. Iceland’s economy took a big hit during the economic crisis of 2008, but has been showing increasing strength since then. When Iceland’s banks were on the verge of collapse in 2008, the country - unlike the United States - did not come to the rescue, but let their banks fail. Iceland’s recovery should be seen as no less than remarkable. In 2015, Iceland had reduced its inflation rate from 7.5 percent in 2010 to 1.6 percent and the unemployment rate dropped from 7.6 percent in 2010 to 4.0 percent in 2015. The GDP growth rate is strong at around 4 percent and the country is successfully reducing its national debt. Iceland had to borrow money to stay afloat during the crisis. However, one of the reasons why Iceland has been able to recover so quickly is because it was able to devalue its own currency to a large extend. This allowed the country to keep wages the same and make Iceland more competitive on the world market. Countries such as Greece are not so lucky because they do not have the ability to use this economic parameter.

Gross domestic product (GDP) of Venezuela fell to 43.79 billion U.S. dollars in 2020, down from a 2012 peak of 372.59 U.S. dollars.

Venezuela’s economic capacity

Venezuela is famously the country with the largest oil reserves. However, mismanagement of the economy has led to several economic problems. Most notably, inflation has gotten out of control and has turned into hyperinflation. This represents a complete breakdown in people’s faith in the currency and, to a similar extent, the entire financial system.

The Maduro Diet

President Nicolás Maduro has largely been blamed for the economic situation in Venezuela. Many people have lost weight due to food shortages, which critics refer to as the “Maduro Diet”. In early 2019, opposition leader Juan Guaido declared the Maduro administration illegitimate, plunging the country into a constitutional crisis that divided the diplomatic world. Regardless of the outcome, Venezuela will still have to deal with high inflation, growing national debt, and challenges in infrastructure.

This statistic shows the national debt of Greece from 2019 to 2023, with projections until 2029. In 2023, the national debt in Greece was around 382.04 billion U.S. dollars. In a ranking of debt to GDP per country, Greece is currently ranked third. Greece's struggle after the financial crisis Greece is a developed country in the EU and is highly dependent on its service sector as well as its tourism sector in order to gain profits. After going through a large economic boom from the 1950s to the 1970s as well as somewhat high GDP growth in the early to mid 2000s, Greece’s economy took a turn for the worse and struggled intensively, primarily due to the Great Recession, the Euro crisis as well as its own debt crisis. National debt within the country saw significant gains over the past decades, however roughly came to a halt due to financial rescue packages issued from the European Union in order to help Greece maintain and improve their economical situation. The nation’s continuous rise in debt has overwhelmed its estimated GDP over the years, which can be attributed to poor government execution and unnecessary spending. Large sums of financial aid were taken from major European banks to help balance out these government-induced failures and to potentially help refuel the economy to encourage more spending, which in turn would decrease the country’s continuously rising unemployment rate. Investors, consumers and workers alike are struggling to see a bright future in Greece, whose chances of an economic comeback are much lower than that of other struggling countries such as Portugal and Italy. However, Greece's financial situation might improve in the future, as it is estimated that at least its national debt will decrease - slowly, but steadily. Still, since its future participation in the European Union is in limbo as of now, these figures can only be estimates, not predictions.

The U.S. federal funds effective rate underwent a dramatic reduction in early 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The rate plummeted from 1.58 percent in February 2020 to 0.65 percent in March, and further decreased to 0.05 percent in April. This sharp reduction, accompanied by the Federal Reserve's quantitative easing program, was implemented to stabilize the economy during the global health crisis. After maintaining historically low rates for nearly two years, the Federal Reserve began a series of rate hikes in early 2022, with the rate moving from 0.33 percent in April 2022 to 5.33 percent in August 2023. The rate remained unchanged for over a year, before the Federal Reserve initiated its first rate cut in nearly three years in September 2024, bringing the rate to 5.13 percent. By December 2024, the rate was cut to 4.48 percent, signaling a shift in monetary policy in the second half of 2024. The first rate cut in 2025 then set the rate at 4.33 percent. What is the federal funds effective rate? The U.S. federal funds effective rate determines the interest rate paid by depository institutions, such as banks and credit unions, that lend reserve balances to other depository institutions overnight. Changing the effective rate in times of crisis is a common way to stimulate the economy, as it has a significant impact on the whole economy, such as economic growth, employment, and inflation. Central bank policy rates The adjustment of interest rates in response to the COVID-19 pandemic was a coordinated global effort. In early 2020, central banks worldwide implemented aggressive monetary easing policies to combat the economic crisis. The U.S. Federal Reserve's dramatic reduction of its federal funds rate - from 1.58 percent in February 2020 to 0.05 percent by April - mirrored similar actions taken by central banks globally. While these low rates remained in place throughout 2021, mounting inflationary pressures led to a synchronized tightening cycle beginning in 2022, with central banks pushing rates to multi-year highs. By mid-2024, as inflation moderated across major economies, central banks began implementing their first rate cuts in several years, with the U.S. Federal Reserve, Bank of England, and European Central Bank all easing monetary policy.

The price of gold per troy ounce increased considerably between 1990 and 2024, despite some fluctuations. A troy ounce is the international common unit of weight used for precious metals and is approximately 31.3 grams. At the end of 2024, a troy ounce of gold cost 2,386.2 U.S. dollars. Price of – additional information In 2000 the price of gold was at its lowest since 1990, with a troy ounce of gold costing 274.5 U.S. dollars in that year. Since then gold prices have been rising and after the economic crisis of 2008 the price of gold rose at higher rates than ever before as the market began to see gold as an increasingly good investment. History has shown that time and time again, gold is seen as a good investment in times of uncertainty because it can or is thought to function as a good store of value against a declining currency as well as providing protection against inflation. However unlike other commodities, once gold is mined it does not get used up like other commodities (for example, such as gasoline). So while gold may be a good investment at times, the supply demand argument does not apply to gold. Nonetheless, the demand for gold has been mostly consistent.

In 2021, the inflation rate in Ghana amounted to about 9.98 percent compared to the previous year. Ghana’s inflation peaked at almost 17.5 percent in 2016 and is predicted to decrease to 8 percent by 2029.

Steady is best for inflation

According to economists, a steady inflation rate between two and three percent is desirable to achieve a stable economy in a country. Inflation is the increase in the price level of consumer goods and services over a certain time period. A high inflation rate is often caused by excessive money supply and can turn into hyperinflation, i.e. if inflation occurs too quickly and rapidly, it can devalue currency and cause a recession and even economic collapse. This scenario is currently taking place in Venezuela , for example. The opposite of inflation, the decrease in the price level of goods and services below zero percent, is called deflation. While hyperinflation devalues money, deflation usually increases its value. Both events can damage an economy severely.

Is Ghana’s economy at risk?

Ghana’s economy is considered quite stable and fast-growing, and is rich in oil, diamonds, and gold. After struggling in the years around 2015 due to increased government spending and plummeting oil prices, it is now on an upswing again. This is also reflected in the decreasing inflation rate, and other key indicators like unemployment and rapid GDP growth support this theory. However, Ghana’s government debt is still struggling with the consequences of the 2015 crisis and forecast to keep skyrocketing during the next few years.