Can You Break A Quadrillion ?
My South African friend, Prieur du Pleissis, shows us an insane check for a quadrillion and some odd change. Of course, its from Zimbabwe.
A quadrillion is a thousand trillion.
Previously:
Inflation, Zimbabwe Style (June 2008)
http://bigpicture.typepad.com/comments/2008/06/inflation-zimba.html
Zimbabwe's Million-Percent Inflation (July 2008)
http://bigpicture.typepad.com/comments/2008/07/headline-of-the.html
Z$100B Note (July 2008)
http://bigpicture.typepad.com/comments/2008/07/z100b-note.html
Wednesday, September 03, 2008 | 03:16 PM | Permalink
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Comments
And that was for a bagel and cream cheese with a cup of coffee. Not tip included.
Posted by: Bolddan | Sep 3, 2008 3:37:35 PM
Should you have his routing and account info there for all to see?
Posted by: john | Sep 3, 2008 3:39:04 PM
And the paper its written on is worth more then the amount.
*sigh*
Don't laugh to loud some homeowners are feeling the same way. The paper the note is written on is worth more then their house.
Posted by: David Silberberg | Sep 3, 2008 3:47:56 PM
I hope she was worth it......
Posted by: Stuart | Sep 3, 2008 3:51:24 PM
Zimbabwe should introduce a new currency, calling it the "Bernanke."
Posted by: esb | Sep 3, 2008 3:54:23 PM
There is no way I could write a check that large without making a mistake.
Posted by: Real Estate Raj | Sep 3, 2008 3:54:59 PM
The motto on the Bernanke notes should be, "In Lies We Trust."
Posted by: esb | Sep 3, 2008 3:57:14 PM
OK, we've been making fun of this for quite some time now...what's the chances? Is it just because these countries are so removed from ours? Educate me please!
Posted by: Concerned Citizen | Sep 3, 2008 3:57:39 PM
Trivia for the day ... may be of some use in Zimbabwe if the inflation persists...
Posted by: Ken M. | Sep 3, 2008 3:59:33 PM
Must be a boon to the export sector.
Posted by: DL | Sep 3, 2008 3:59:42 PM
I like the fact that it is "not negotiable". WTF???
as for me
I will take that all in pennys please...
Posted by: MarkTX | Sep 3, 2008 3:59:43 PM
C C:
When a society is willing to trade a small amount of immediate comfort for large dose of future pain, well,
this is the ultimate destination.
Posted by: esb | Sep 3, 2008 4:01:19 PM
DO NOT LAUGH at my country, you peasants.
I have brought big time prosperity to all by using your trinkle-down economics. My countrymen are all billionaires now, as well as having many wives and additionally chickens and cows.
I am sorely misunderestimated just like your President Bush.
Posted by: Robert Mugabe | Sep 3, 2008 4:02:18 PM
Next up: prices expressed using scientific notation.
Posted by: mappo | Sep 3, 2008 4:06:13 PM
I'm working in South Africa and visited Zimbabwe back in March when a US dollar bought "only" 10 million Zim dollars. Our cab driver purchased some gasoline at a black market "petrol station," which was just a ramshackle house from which emerged a young woman with a gallon jug full of gas.
Posted by: AB | Sep 3, 2008 4:07:58 PM
Reminds me of that scene from Austin Powers.
Posted by: manhattanguy | Sep 3, 2008 4:10:49 PM
mappo:
And then you could "enhance" the rate of inflation by changing the base, say from 10 to 12.
Posted by: esb | Sep 3, 2008 4:11:15 PM
This is actually quite topical, as I believe that we may be about to see a reversal of this long $ rally very soon.
This has been a very long and extraordinarily strong move by the standards of the currency markets, so it would be very surprising if we did not see a counter-trend move in the near future. Sentiment is extremely bearish on the Euro and pound.
Given that we saw the XLF bump up to 22 today, perhaps the bank rally may be done for the time being, and we are probably going to get a bounce in commodities before too long.
Posted by: leftback | Sep 3, 2008 4:20:05 PM
And today I see where Big Brother (USA) is sending a billion to Georgia! When is the F'N bailouts and subsidies going to stop! The only entity extending credit nowadays is the USA! I just can not believe the dollar is gaining in this crap! The USA is becoming subprime!
Posted by: Rob P. | Sep 3, 2008 4:20:35 PM
From Bill Dunkleberg (NFIB)
I posted his picture of a dinner bill for $1.2 billion today.
of course that's food, so maybe core inflation is still ok in Zimbabwe
Posted by: Michael Donnelly | Sep 3, 2008 4:30:53 PM
This just makes me think of the $1b bill in Idiocracy that says "GETTIN PAID" on it
Posted by: Alex | Sep 3, 2008 4:32:19 PM
At the time this check was written, it was worth about 22 thousand dollars (by the chart at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:ZWD-EUR_2008.png , it looks like the conversion rate was roughly $Z 70 billion = 1 EUR on July 23, 2008).
Posted by: Tim Dierks | Sep 3, 2008 4:38:22 PM
I love how it still includes two zeros for cents (or whatever they call their hundredths of a dollar).
Heh, someone beat me to the scientific notation quip.
Posted by: Larry | Sep 3, 2008 4:44:14 PM
The "only" at the end of the line is classic!
Posted by: yoganmahew | Sep 3, 2008 4:44:15 PM
Interesting to see that Duly's Ford is still around. Rhodesia was super.
Posted by: the | Sep 3, 2008 5:06:32 PM
