Recently, the SWIFT organization released the latest statistics on payment share ratios.

The United States remains in first place, with a share of 41.89%, but the pursuers are closing in, as the euro, ranked second, has now increased its payment share to 36.34%, with a gap of just 5 percentage points between the two.

The US dollar has been in existence for hundreds of years, while the euro has only been in circulation for just over 20 years; naturally, the United States cannot tolerate any threat to the dollar's hegemonic status.

01, Targeting Europe

It is well-known that the United States has long been assertive and domineering in the world, meddling whenever it perceives a threat, a behavior that many countries have experienced firsthand.

However, it is rare for the United States to turn its guns towards Europe.

In the past year, the US has been continuously raising interest rates, with the aim not only of continuously appreciating its currency but also hoping to accumulate wealth from other countries through this means, ultimately transferring all benefits to its own nation.

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The US is very experienced in economic harvesting, but targeting Europe is somewhat unexpected.

From the perspective of many, there is not much contention of interests between them, and the United States is already the strongest nation, with almost no significant worries. Why has Europe suddenly transitioned from an ally to a thorn in the United States' side?

We all know that the United States has also invested considerable thought and time to prevent China's development, fearing being overtaken by China. Whether it is in instigating relations between China and other countries, attempting to monopolize China's economic development, or preventing Chinese technological innovation, the United States has taken comprehensive measures in all aspects.The reason for the continuous obstruction of China's development is actually because China's strength makes the United States feel afraid.

The contradictions between Europe and the United States are also precisely because the European economy is developing strongly, and the euro is gradually threatening the status of the US dollar.

02, The layout to strike the euro

The current economic development speed of Europe is extremely fast. The euro, which has only been developed for more than 20 years, can follow closely behind the world's number one currency, the US dollar. Naturally, the United States will worry about the momentum of Europe's development.

A few years ago, the United States began to release moves to prevent the development of the euro. Now it seems that this layout is close to completion, just one final blow is needed.

The United States first made the United Kingdom leave the eurozone, but this step was like punching a cotton ball. The euro did not decline economically as a result, but instead continued to rise. In recent years, the status of the euro in the global market has also gradually increased.

Of course, the United States will not give up easily and has been waiting for the opportunity to strike the euro. Last year, there was finally a loophole that the United States could take advantage of.

In 2022, the Russia-Ukraine conflict was a hot topic. Due to the arbitrary interruption of the natural gas transportation pipeline between Europe and Russia, Europe fell into an energy crisis. This is a blessing in disguise for the United States.

The latest news shows that the United States has begun to take action, and a lot of evidence indicates that it was the United States that blew up the natural gas pipeline.

On the one hand, the United States is still continuing to raise interest rates, allowing the US dollar exchange rate to continue to rise, thereby devaluing the currencies of other countries, among which the euro is naturally devalued.On the other hand, the United States has not ceased its covert manipulation of the energy market, digging deeper holes and making it even more difficult for Europe to escape the energy crisis.

In the short term, the devaluation of the euro, the struggle to import energy due to the lack of transportation pipelines, and the bans encountered through maritime transport have resulted in persistently high prices.

The United States' meticulously laid traps have indeed caused Europe a great deal of trouble.

03, There's Another Move

However, after natural gas prices hit a peak in August of last year, they experienced a significant drop due to Europe's early reserves of natural gas for the winter.

After November, the US dollar itself was not performing well, repeatedly raising interest rates but falling even lower, allowing the euro to take advantage and stage a substantial rebound, recovering most of the losses incurred during the previous devaluation.

It seems that the United States' efforts have been in vain.

But in reality, the United States has another trap waiting for Europe, which is the Inflation Reduction Act.

In comparison, the two moves the United States has made are just a warm-up, and the United States' final big move is slowly showing its effects.

The Inflation Reduction Act is about buying loyalty with benefits; any enterprise willing to invest in the United States can receive substantial subsidies from the US dollar. As a result, Europe is likely to lose a significant number of high-quality enterprises, and European capital will also flow towards the US market.The United States' tactics are hard to guard against, and the repeated protests from Germany and France have been ineffective.

Is it true that Europe cannot escape the dollar's harvest?