We love talking about money. And of course we love talking about the dollar, in all its varieties, from bank deposits to eurodollars to stablecoins. But what fundamentally is a dollar and who actually controls it? Before you can even talk about any of that, you need to understand how the dollar was born. Brendan Greeley argues the dollar is a lot older than you might suspect: It is a 500-year-old idea. The word itself has an incredible etymology: It's derived from German, but refers to a Spanish currency made from silver found in Mexico. The story of the dollar, Greeley tells us, goes way beyond the US and implicates the whole world. Our conversation coincides with the release of Greely's new book, 'The Almighty Dollar: 500 Years of the World's Most Powerful Money.' Watch Bloomberg Vodcasts: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLe4PRejZgr0MS0Tqk_zQl1LVVTdWuH2Di Watch more Odd Lots episodes: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLe4PRejZgr0OJbRzA6nWybYiThLJd_ouz Bloomberg's Joe Weisenthal and Tracy Alloway analyze the weird patterns, the complex issues and the newest market crazes. Join the conversation every Monday and Thursday for interviews with the most interesting minds in finance, economics and markets. Join the conversation: discord.gg/oddlots Subscribe to Bloomberg Podcasts: https://bit.ly/BloombergPodcasts Check out more Odd Lots: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLe4PRejZgr0MuA6M0zkZyy-99-qc87wKV Get the Odd Lots newsletter: https://www.bloomberg.com/account/newsletters/oddlots And for all things Odd Lots, visit https://www.bloomberg.com/oddlots #Investing #Markets #Finance #Bloomberg #Podcast #OddLots Visit us: https://www.bloomberg.com/podcasts For coverage on news, markets and more: http://www.bloomberg.com/video Visit our other YouTube channels: Bloomberg Television: https://www.youtube.com/@markets Bloomberg Originals: https://www.youtube.com/bloomberg Chapters: 00:00:00 - Money Analysis 00:05:25 - The 500-Year Question 00:09:21 - Academic Journey and Research Methods 00:13:38 - Why Money Philosophy Matters 00:17:27 - The Origin Story: From Joachimsthal to Global Currency 00:24:20 - Spanish Empire and Global Silver Flow 00:28:04 - Evolution to Modern Dollars 00:32:02 - Modern Dollar Value and Backing 00:38:21 - Global Dollar System and Swap Lines 00:43:55 - MMT and Tax-Driven Money Theory 00:46:30 - Archival Research Adventures Watch Bloomberg Vodcasts: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLe4PRejZgr0MS0Tqk_zQl1LVVTdWuH2Di Watch more Odd Lots episodes: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLe4PRejZgr0OJbRzA6nWybYiThLJd_ouz Bloomberg's Joe Weisenthal and Tracy Alloway analyze the weird patterns, the complex issues and the newest market crazes. Join the conversation every Monday and Thursday for interviews with the most interesting minds in finance, economics and markets. Join the conversation: discord.gg/oddlots Subscribe to Bloomberg Podcasts: https://bit.ly/BloombergPodcasts Check out more Odd Lots: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLe4PRejZgr0MuA6M0zkZyy-99-qc87wKV Get the Odd Lots newsletter: https://www.bloomberg.com/account/newsletters/oddlots And for all things Odd Lots, visit https://www.bloomberg.com/oddlots #Investing #Markets #Finance #Bloomberg #Podcast #OddLots Visit us: https://www.bloomberg.com/podcasts For coverage on news, markets and more: http://www.bloomberg.com/video Visit our other YouTube channels: Bloomberg Television: https://www.youtube.com/@markets Bloomberg Originals: https://www.youtube.com/bloomberg