ABSTRACT
For almost all the people in the world, life is maintained through the purchase of commodities, products and services that feed, clothe, house and provide pleasure. The prices of commodities are their exchange values expressed in the money of the country or territory in which people live. The prices of commodities and, therefore, their exchange values, fluctuate through time. For at least 250 years, social theorists and commentators, as well as the public, have sought to determine whether exchange values fluctuate systematically and, if they do, what might be the underlying determinant of the exchange values observed in markets.
