As we approach 1987, the Gordian knot of the international debt problem seems to be tightening again. Rescheduling agreements and requests for new money by several important countries are on the agenda. It will take farsighted and strategic thinking on behalf of all participants to overcome the mounting problems confronting us. Nevertheless, I firmly believe that the problems will continue to be manageable if all participants focus on their long-term interest in coming to a satisfactory solution. It is within that general framework that I would like to approach the topic of this paper. The role of the banks in the debt crisis cannot be seen in isolation. Important interdependences must be considered, including the responsibilities of the debtor countries, the industrialized countries, and the international agencies.

It has been argued recently by Friedman that the whole term structure of interest rates rather than any single rate represents the relevant opportunity cost of holding money. The purpose of this paper is to present a way to incorporate the term structure in the demand-for-money function compactly with a few parameters and offer empirical evidence for the United States over the period 1960-76 supporting the validity of such an approach. Furthermore, we establish that this function appeared to be stable during a period (1972-74) when standard functions using only one interest rate display significant shifts in parameters.

It has been argued recently by Friedman that the whole term structure of interest rates rather than any single rate represents the relevant opportunity cost of holding money. The purpose of this paper is to present a way to incorporate the term structure in the demand-for-money function compactly with a few parameters and offer empirical evidence for the United States over the period 1960-76 supporting the validity of such an approach. Furthermore, we establish that this function appeared to be stable during a period (1972-74) when standard functions using only one interest rate display significant shifts in parameters.