What Is the Gold Standard?

By Jeremy Bowman – Updated Dec 3, 2025 at 2:15 AM EST

Key Points

The gold standard made currencies stable by tying them to gold's value.
It ended due to economic pressures and the need for flexible monetary policies.
No current nations use the gold standard, favoring central bank control instead.

Loading paragraph...

Gold ingots stacked on top of one another. — Image source: Getty Images.

Loading image...

Loading paragraph...

How to Invest in Stocks: 5 Steps to Get Started

Are you ready to jump into the stock market? We've got you. Build long-term wealth using The Motley Fool's market-beating method.

Swift Code vs. Routing Number: What's the Difference?

SWIFT codes handle global transfers, and U.S. routing numbers manage domestic transactions, ensuring precise, efficient transfers.

How Banks Make Money

While the banking business itself can be complex, the ways banks make money are easy to understand.

A History of U.S. Stock Market Crashes

What goes up must come down. Here's a look at the biggest stock market crashes.

Loading hub_pages...

Loading paragraph...

About the Author

Jeremy Bowman has been a contributing Motley Fool stock market analyst, covering technology, consumer goods, and macroeconomic trends since 2011. Before The Motley Fool, Jeremy was a newspaper reporter, restaurant manager, and English teacher abroad. He holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Colorado College and a master’s degree in business administration from American University. One of his Motley Fool headlines was briefly featured on Late Night with Stephen Colbert.

TMFHobo

@TMFBowman

The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.