Tug of War: Why You Should Care About the Global Currency Crisis (Paperback)

~ Paul Erdman (Author) "MEXICO WAS AN UNLIKELY PLACE for the currency crisis to begin because in recent years the peso had been a remarkably stable currency..." (more)
Key Phrases: United States, New York, Federal Reserve (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Prominent economist Paul Erdman looks at the ongoing currency crisis and predicts what effect it will have on the American economy. "This concise, lucid primer . . . will transform the financially illiterate person into an armchair expert on such topics as currency markets, derivatives, and international trade."--Publishers Weekly.

Book Description

In recent years, the value of the U.S. dollar has fluctuated wildly. Japanese investors have lost billions in U.S. markets, causing an almost unprecedented run on the dollar. The leaders of the world currency markets were forced to band together to push up the value of the U.S. dollar. Tug of War: Why You Should Care About the Global Currency Crisis is the riveting story of this flow of money around the globe and what it means for us today.In 1991, the Mexican government tied the value of the peso to the dollar. As the peso slid and almost vanished, the fortunes of the dollar waned. Investors around the world, especially the Japanese, lost confidence in the dollar, creating a soaring yen and dragging down the value of the dollar even more. Subsequent events in the world currency markets pulled the dollar in even more directions: rogue traders lost billions on bad deals; the European Union began determining the value of its own currency; Japanese banks admitted enormous, previously concealed, losses. The tug of war continued. Paul Erdman, as well-known for his ability to predict financial markets as for his ability to write a suspenseful story, clearly explains the tangled basis and continuing strength of the currency crisis, gives his predictions about the future, and offers advice to market masters on the direction they should pursue. Significantly updated for this paperback edition, Tug of War, as compelling as any novel, is certain to be one of the most important financial books of this or any other year. Readers will not want to be left out when Erdman predicts the winner in this economic battle.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 186 pages
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan (October 15, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312159005
• ISBN-13: 978-0312159009
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #804,558 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The "Asian Contagion" Reviewed., August 20, 2004

By	B. A. Trust Account "FX Trader" (SLC, UT) - See all my reviews

A simple yet far reaching book about the "Asian Contagion" and currency crisis of the late '90's. You should first read "The Vandals Crown", then this book, followed by "The Chastening". You'll then have a complete and chronological history of numerous currency crises involving the IMF, World Bank, and the major geopolitical figures. Fascinating foundation of fundamentals in action for anyone interested in trading the FOREX markets.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book with 5 star content. However, a terrible edition. BEWARE!, February 20, 2009

By	Nicholas Warren (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

This is a fascinating book for anyone interested in Foreign Exchange (FX) markets. Although not up-to-date, in discussing the currency crisis of the late '90s, it provides very valuable information about how the international FX markets work in practice and the competing considerations that central banks have to address. In terms of content, I would give the book 5 stars and highly recommend it to finance/banking/macro economics undergraduates, as well as to MBA students interested in markets.

However, this paperback edition (supposedly updated, though it doesn't say in what respects) is an appalling piece of publishing. There are many numbers indicating footnotes in this edition, yet the footnotes have not been reprinted (I can only assume they were there in the original hard-cover edition)! Footnotes are there for a purpose and provide valuable further details of points discussed, as well as references. It is inexcusable that these should have been omitted from this paperback edition. I felt as if I had ben cheated and only received a part of the book. Additionally, this edition was digitally reprinted in 2008, which leaves charts and diagrams somewhat fuzzy. Because of the publishing, I feel I have to reduce the overall star rating to 3 from 5.

If you want to read this book (which I hope you do), I strongly recommend buying a used copy of the hardcover edition, which is likely to be much cheaper too.