The Market

The market is an advanced form of trading involving the trade of an item with an established monetary value, known as currency.

History

The Market was formally established in 19 aught 7 by Lady Annabelle T. Moneys under the authority of the Queen. Before this time, buying and selling took place in the form of bartering, though pebbles were a common item used to trade.

Records state the reason for the Market's creation was "...to standardize and simplify the trade of goods," (Moneys 360), as the process of bartering often involved heated arguments over the value of personal items, making for an unpleasant experience.

Currency

There are four main forms of currency commonly used by ants in the modern era.

Pebbles

Pebbles (PB) could be considered the first form of currency introduced to the ant society. Pebbles are still used in the current day, though they are considered archaic by some. Because of their drastic difference in values compared to size, pebbles are generally used for larger purchases. The pebble to crumb exchange rate is relatively stable, and stays around CM:PB = 5:1.

Crumbs

Main Article: Crumbs

Crumbs (CM) are the most common form of currency used among ants. Crumbs are used in most modern transactions, and are the standard of which other currencies are compared.

Sugar

Sugar (SG, or Sugar Grain) is a form of ant currency that exists both physically and digitally. Crumbs and pebbles both need to be converted to sugar for most online transactions. The sugar economy is infamous for its instability, as CM:SG changes daily and can range from 1:30 to 1:80.

Ant Coin

Ant Coin (AC) is a relatively new type of currency commonly used among the younger and more wealthy ant population. Ant coin is not a physical coin, rather, it is a digital type of currency called cryptocurrency. Compared to other types of money, it is not generally accepted at most stores, and tends to be used for some online transactions.