U.S. Intervention During the Bretton Wood Era: 1962-1973

89 Pages Posted: 12 Apr 2011

See all articles by Michael D. Bordo

Michael D. Bordo

Rutgers University, New Brunswick - Department of Economics; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

Owen Humpage

Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland

Anna J. Schwartz

City University of New York (CUNY); National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) - NY Office

Date Written: April 11, 2011

Abstract

By the early 1960s, outstanding U.S. dollar liabilities began to exceed the U.S. gold stock, suggesting that the United States could not completely maintain its pledge to convert dollars into gold at the official price. This raised uncertainty about the Bretton Woods parity grid, and speculation seemed to grow. In response, the Federal Reserve instituted a series of swap lines to provide central banks with cover for unwanted, but temporary accumulations of dollars and to provide foreign central banks with dollar funds to finance their own interventions. The Treasury also began intervening in the market. The operations often forestalled gold losses, but in so doing, delayed the need to solve Bretton Woods’ fundamental underlying problems. In addition, the institutional arrangements forged between the Federal Reserve and the U.S. Treasury raised important questions bearing on Federal Reserve independence.

Keywords: intervention, Bretton Woods, swap lines, Triffin’s paradox, gold

JEL Classification: F3, N1, N2

Suggested Citation

Bordo, Michael D. and Humpage, Owen and Schwartz, Anna J., U.S. Intervention During the Bretton Wood Era: 1962-1973 (April 11, 2011). FRB of Cleveland Policy Discussion Paper No. 11-08, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1807117 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1807117

Michael D. Bordo

Rutgers University, New Brunswick - Department of Economics ( email )

New Brunswick, NJ
United States

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) ( email )

1050 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States

Owen Humpage (Contact Author)

Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland ( email )

PO Box 6387
Cleveland, OH 44101-1387
United States

Anna J. Schwartz

City University of New York (CUNY) ( email )

17 Lexington Avenue
New York, NY 10010
United States

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) - NY Office

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New York, NY 10016-4309
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212-817-7957 (Phone)

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