Big Mac Prices Show the Pain of the Dollar Doom Loop

Behold: the Big Mac — a symbol of American soft power and hard-currency dominance.

The Economist invented the ‘Big Mac Index’ in 1986, turning McDonald’s signature hamburgers into a way of gauging currencies.

The index is described as a “lighthearted way” to measure purchasing power parity, or the degree to which one country’s money can buy the same things as another country’s. As such, it’s often been tied to living standards but can also show whether exchange rates may be over- or under-valued.

With the US dollar soaring to the highest level in decades, the Big Mac Index is getting another moment in the sun.