Download This PaperReconstruction of the Spanish Money Supply, 1492-1810
Tinbergen Institute Discussion Paper 2021-033/VI
55 Pages Posted: 27 Apr 2021 Last revised: 10 May 2021
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Reconstruction of the Spanish Money Supply, 1492-1810
Reconstruction of the Spanish Money Supply, 1492-1810
Date Written: April 26, 2021
Abstract
How did the Spanish money supply evolve in the aftermath of the discovery of large amounts of precious metals in Spanish America? We synthesize the available data on the mining of precious metals and their international flow to estimate the money supply for Spain from 1492 to 1810. Our estimate suggests that the Spanish money supply increased more than ten-fold. Viewed through the equation of exchange this money supply increase can account for most of the price level rise in early modern Spain.
Keywords: early modern period, equation of exchange, quantity theory of money
JEL Classification: E31, E51, N13
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation