New France the 16th and early 17th centuries New France's economy was heavily centered on its Atlantic fisheries. This would change in the later half of the 17th and 18th centuries as French settlement penetrated further into the continental interior. Here French economic interests would shift and concentrate itself on the development of the North American fur trade. It would soon become the new staple good that would strengthen and drive New France's economy, in particular that of Montreal, for the next century. The trading post of Ville-Marie, established on the current island of Montreal, quickly became the economic hub for the
Global silver trade from the 16th to 18th centuries and countries, such as the Dutch and Portuguese served as a middle man between the two countries. In the famed "The Wealth of Nations," Adam Smith noted the sheer force and great reach of the global silver trade. He was impressed by its market value but more intrigued with the way this single item of commerce brought together new and old worlds i.e. the Americas and China. Although China acted as the cog running the wheel of global trade, Japan's huge contribution of silver exports to China were critical to the world economy and China's liquidity and success with the