How much money is enough in the game of world economics?

Question

I spent a lot of time trying to make that question cover what I'm trying to ask but I've thought about this and can't come up with an answer that makes any sense! So here we are, corporations worldwide butting heads and competing for what I assume would ideally be global domination of the marketplace. Governments are pushing their version of money(the franc, the dollar, the yen, the euro etc....) hoping their currency becomes, I assume, THE standard by which the rest of the world is judged. People gobble up such vast amounts of money and wealth that even THEY aren't sure how much they are worth anymore.

So I guess I'm asking: What is the "Endgame" to all of this? Is there a point at which there is an eventual "winner"? Or is it a matter that if you die or your corporation collapses and disappears or your country ceases to be sovereign and your wealth is lost to others, you are considered a "loser"?

Period stop? You die with less, you lose? And who's keeping score or is anyone?

Hope you understand what I'm asking. The term, "He who dies with the most toys, wins" keeps coming to mind but I'm thinking ULTIMATELY on a worldwide scale.....

Answer 1

The end of all of this is an economics version of heat death. Economic change arises in the face of untapped opportunities, investments are done on profitable growing markets. The economy will keep growing globally until it stops due to a lack of natural resources and/or workers. When that happens the profits of businesses and real interest rates will drop to almost zero, income inequalities will flatten and social classes will disappear.

Look at it this way: Business will stop growing because their cost of production (wages) will get so high and their incomes (sales) will get so low due to massive competition that there is no reason to expand further. Capitalism will evolve naturally into full fledged socialism once the profit well dries. All without firing a shot.

We are far form that point, the global economy will keep growing this century. There are billions of people that still need to get out of poverty, many "chinese miracles" waiting to happen. Once they all do... you'll see.

Answer 2

I don't believe there is an end point. As I'm sure you know the economic cycle sees economies go up and down constantly. When there is a boom there must also be a recession, its a fact of life and happens in every developed capital economy.

Not every country pushes their currency to get stronger and stronger. There are often deliberate attempts from government to lower the strength of its currency as it can have a large negative impact on exports. When the AUD got so strong against the US, exports decreased as importers looked to purchase goods from cheaper places.

There is no end point to the economy and they are not necessarily competing in order to become the best at expense of someone else's. The only 'winners' are those economies which help their people have a good standard of life.