The British economist John Maynard Keynes worried that countries would not use sterling to settle trading balances with each other if the pound were not viewed as a reliable store of value. The “future position of the City of London,” according to Keynes, depended on the pound sterling continuing to serve the business world as the equivalent of gold.
英国经济学家凯恩斯担心，如果人们不把英镑看作可靠的价值储备，那么，各国就不会用英镑来结算各自的交易结余。凯恩斯认为，“伦敦市的未来地位”取决于英镑继续作为黄金的等价物为工商界服务。英国在第一次世界大战爆发之际维持英镑可兑换为黄金来维持其国际交易媒介的信誉。