Eurodollar in the context of "American economy"

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⭐ Core Definition: Eurodollar

Eurodollars are U.S. dollars held in time deposit accounts in banks outside the United States. The term was originally applied to U.S. dollar accounts held in banks situated in Europe, but it expanded over the years to cover U.S. dollar accounts held anywhere outside the U.S. Thus, a U.S. dollar-denominated deposit in Dubai or Singapore would likewise be deemed a Eurodollar deposit (sometimes an Asiadollar). More generally, the euro- prefix can be used to indicate any currency held in a country where it is not the official currency, broadly termed "eurocurrency", for example, Euroyen or even Euroeuro.

Eurodollars have different regulatory requirements than dollars held in U.S. banks. Eurodollars can be riskier than assets held in U.S. banks, which include at least partial deposit insurance, and as a result, demand a higher interest rate.

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👉 Eurodollar in the context of American economy

The United States has a highly developed diversified market-oriented mixed economy. It is the world's largest economy by nominal GDP and second largest by purchasing power parity (PPP). As of 2025, it has the world's ninth-highest nominal GDP per capita and eleventh-highest GDP per capita by PPP. According to the World Bank, the U.S. accounted for 14.8% of the global aggregate GDP in 2024 in purchasing power parity terms and 26.2% in nominal terms. The U.S. dollar is the currency most used in international transactions and the world's foremost reserve currency, backed by a large U.S. treasuries market, its role as the reference standard for the petrodollar system, and its linked eurodollar. Several countries use it as their official currency and in others it is the de facto currency. Since the end of World War II, the economy has achieved relatively steady growth, low unemployment and inflation, and rapid advances in technology.

The American economy is fueled by high productivity, well-developed transportation infrastructure, and extensive natural resources. Americans have the sixth highest average household and employee income among OECD member states. In 2021, they had the highest median household income among OECD countries, although the country also had one of the world's highest income inequalities among the developed countries. The largest U.S. trading partners are Mexico, Canada, China, Japan, Germany, South Korea, the United Kingdom, Taiwan, India, and Vietnam. The U.S. is the world's largest importer and second-largest exporter. It has free trade agreements with several countries, including Canada and Mexico (through the USMCA), Australia, South Korea, Israel, and several others that are in effect or under negotiation. The U.S. has a highly flexible labor market, where the industry adheres to a hire-and-fire policy, and job security is relatively low. Among OECD nations, the U.S. has a highly efficient social security system; social expenditure stood at roughly 30% of GDP.

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Eurodollar in the context of International use of the U.S. dollar

The United States dollar was established as the world's foremost reserve currency by the Bretton Woods Agreement of 1944. It claimed this status from sterling after the devastation of two world wars and the massive spending of the United Kingdom's gold reserves. Despite all links to gold being severed in 1971, the dollar continues to be the world's foremost reserve currency. Furthermore, the Bretton Woods Agreement also set up the global post-war monetary system by setting up rules, institutions and procedures for conducting international trade and accessing the global capital markets using the U.S. dollar.

The U.S. dollar is widely held by central banks, foreign companies and private individuals worldwide, in the form of eurodollar foreign deposit accounts (not to be confused with the euro), as well as in the form of US$100 notes, an estimated 75% of which are held overseas. The U.S. dollar is predominantly the standard currency unit in which goods are quoted and traded, and with which payments are settled in, in the global commodity markets.

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Eurodollar in the context of TED spread

The TED spread is the difference between the interest rates on interbank loans and on short-term U.S. government debt ("T-bills"). TED is an acronym formed from T-Bill and ED, the ticker symbol for the Eurodollar futures contract.

Initially, the TED spread was the difference between the interest rates for three-month U.S. Treasuries contracts and the three-month Eurodollars contract as represented by the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR). However, since the Chicago Mercantile Exchange dropped T-bill futures after the 1987 crash, the TED spread was calculated as the difference between the three-month LIBOR and the three-month T-bill interest rate. The discontinuation of LIBOR in 2021 led to its partial replacement by the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR) in the calculation, which does not provide an equivalent measurement.

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LINKED FROM (PARENTS)
← International use of the U.S. dollar ← American economy ← Economy of the United States ← TED spread
LINKS TO (CHILDREN)
U.S. dollar → Time deposit → Bank → United States → Eurocurrency →