– The International Monetary Fund – The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, or “World Bank” – The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, or “GATT” – The Bretton Woods Exchange Rate System
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Smithsonian Agreement
• In an attempt to restore order to the exchange market, 10 leading nations met at the Smithsonian on December 16 and 17, 1971. • The “Smithsonian Agreement” was a new system of exchange-parity values. Although this new system was still a dollar-standard exchange-rate system, the dollar, was still not convertible to gold. • Nixon hailed this agreement as the “most significant monetary agreement in the history of the world.” • Smithsonian Agreement collapsed within 15 months and a de facto system of floating rates emerged.
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Economic Summits