ABSTRACT
This chapter explores some of the indicators often associated with ‘money’ or, more accurately, economics. The Great Depression began with the stock market crash in 1929 in the US. The reasons for this were rooted within a period of rapid economic growth in the 1920s combined with a growing level of recklessness with regard to investments. A more challenging issue than dealing with inflation relates to comparing Gross Domestic Product (GDP) across countries with different currencies and different social and economic contexts. The Great Depression did point to the need for a much more extensive system of national accounting to allow the better informed management of the economy. The limitations of GDP in the sense of it being a narrow indicator of monetary flow have been noted many times. The GDP is boosted by goods that are not durable and that have to be purchased regularly, as this adds to the flow of money in the economy.
