One of the foremost financial writers of his generation, Peter
Bernstein has the unique ability to synthesize intellectual history
and economics with the theory and practice of investment
management. Now, with classic titles such as Economist on Wall
Street, A Primer on Money, Banking, and Gold, and The Price of
Prosperity–which have forewords by financial luminaries
and new introductions by the author–you can enjoy some of the
best of Bernstein in his earlier Wall Street days.
With the proliferation of financial instruments, new areas of
instability, and innovative capital market strategies, many
economists and investors have lost sight of the fundamentals of the
financial system–its strengths as well as its weaknesses.
A Primer on Money, Banking, and Gold takes you back to the
beginning and sorts out all the pieces.
Peter Bernstein skillfully addresses how and why commercial
banks lend and invest, where money comes from, how it moves from
hand to hand, and the critical role of interest rates. He explores
the Federal Reserve System and the consequences of the Fed’s
actions on the overall economy. But this book is not just about the
past. Bernstein’s novel perspective on gold and the dollar is
critical for today’s decision makers, as he provides extensive
views on the future of money, banking, and gold in the world
economy.
This illuminating story about the heart of our economic system
is essential reading at a time when developments in finance are
more important than ever.
Table of Content
Foreword by Paul A. Volcker ix
New Introduction xv
Original Introduction xxv
Part One The Money Problem
Chapter 1 Why Worry about Money and Gold? 3
Chapter 2 Spending and Financing 8
Chapter 3 The Price of Money 16
Part Two The Creation of Money
Chapter 4 Money in Hand and Money in the Bank 29
Chapter 5 The Business of Banking 39
Chapter 6 Bank Credit and Money 49
Part Three The Control of Money
Chapter 7 The Federal Reserve System 69
Chapter 8 Federal Reserve Tools of Control 84
Chapter 9 Reserve Requirements 105
Chapter 10 Currency: A Complication 120
Part Four Gold
Chapter 11 Gold at Home 133
Chapter 12 Gold Abroad 142
Part Five Theory in Practice
Chapter 13 The Experience of 1938 to 1945 163
Chapter 14 The Experience of 1945 to 1963 176
Chapter 15 The Experience of 1966 188
Conclusion Money and Gold in the Future 203
Appendix Reading the Weekly Federal Reserve Statement 215
Bibliography 227
Acknowledgments 231
Index 233
About the author
PETER L. BERNSTEIN is founder and President of Peter L. Bernstein, Inc., established in 1973 as publishers of Economics & Portfolio Strategy and consultants to institutional investors around the world. He is also the author of ten books, including three recent volumes from Wiley–Against the Gods: The Remarkable Story of Risk, The Power of Gold: The History of an Obsession, and Capital Ideas Evolving.
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