How weak is the dollar?
Feb 7th, 2008, 10:49 AM
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www.xe.com has current exchange rates.
Feb 7th, 2008, 10:59 AM
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Powell's or Portland, the world's best bookshop (and the only redeeming feature in America's most overrated small town), was taking pounds back in 2004, when sterling wasn't nearly as strong against the USD
Maybe accepting sterling isn't so much a commentary on the USD, as on the civilsed-ness of the business concerned.
Or perhaps we're more likely to buy books than the Oregonian natives?
Maybe accepting sterling isn't so much a commentary on the USD, as on the civilsed-ness of the business concerned.
Or perhaps we're more likely to buy books than the Oregonian natives?
Feb 7th, 2008, 12:25 PM
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>>>>
Maybe accepting sterling isn't so much a commentary on the USD, as on the civilsed-ness of the business concerned.
>>>>
agreed, not a commentary on the $
but it has nothing to do with civilised-ness.
it's to:
-attract the business of overseas tourists...which is a hot market in NY city at the moment (despite all this talk about hysterical tourists afraid of US immigration agents). for some odd reason people tend to feel at home when they see that their currency is accepted by a business.
-make money on the built-in exchange fees that are always involved when businesses take foreign currency
-maybe to get in the press and be discussed on silly travel boards
Maybe accepting sterling isn't so much a commentary on the USD, as on the civilsed-ness of the business concerned.
>>>>
agreed, not a commentary on the $
but it has nothing to do with civilised-ness.
it's to:
-attract the business of overseas tourists...which is a hot market in NY city at the moment (despite all this talk about hysterical tourists afraid of US immigration agents). for some odd reason people tend to feel at home when they see that their currency is accepted by a business.
-make money on the built-in exchange fees that are always involved when businesses take foreign currency
-maybe to get in the press and be discussed on silly travel boards
Feb 7th, 2008, 12:52 PM
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BTW according to a report I just read on Bloomberg, the US dollar has erased all the losses it has suffered this year and has rallied back to $1.44 or thereabouts against the euro and $1.94 against sterling...of course as with everything, nobody knows if this is a trend or what...
Personally, I have gotten the feeling that we as travellers care a lot more about the low dollar than the US government itself...to them the weaker dollar is a good thing as it helps correct the trade deficits that are seen as the real drag on the economy (of course, the weak dollar is partly to blame for the spike in the price of oil)...now no economist am I but I also get the feeling that old time European beliefs are that a stronger currency is a mark of strength and their hope is to make the euro the world's reserve currency and a stronger euro helps them to do that despite the fact it might lead to greater inflation in euroland and is not necessarily all that good within the euro zone.
But who really knows.
Personally, I have gotten the feeling that we as travellers care a lot more about the low dollar than the US government itself...to them the weaker dollar is a good thing as it helps correct the trade deficits that are seen as the real drag on the economy (of course, the weak dollar is partly to blame for the spike in the price of oil)...now no economist am I but I also get the feeling that old time European beliefs are that a stronger currency is a mark of strength and their hope is to make the euro the world's reserve currency and a stronger euro helps them to do that despite the fact it might lead to greater inflation in euroland and is not necessarily all that good within the euro zone.
But who really knows.
Feb 7th, 2008, 01:29 PM
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Hang the new car. I am going to Prague and Munich despite it all.
Besides, we get a tax rebate. Let's see that $300 for seniors will buy me about €208. I can live it up in Prague.
Besides, we get a tax rebate. Let's see that $300 for seniors will buy me about €208. I can live it up in Prague.
Feb 7th, 2008, 01:38 PM
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xyz, I'm under the impression that the Euro goal is still parity 1:1 with the dollar. European exports are have become pricier in the US ther than those who come here to chop, it's not a great thing to them to see a low dollar. And though we spend the same # of dollars when we go to Europe, we're not spending the same # of Euros as we'd like, or did in the past.
Feb 7th, 2008, 03:47 PM
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If you walked down the street in the USA holding up a €100 bill, with the words
EURO
EYPO
covered over, I wonder how many people could tell you what it was?
Assuming that you found a set of 10 people who knew or could guess what it was, how many of them could tell you its value in dollars within 10%?
EURO
EYPO
covered over, I wonder how many people could tell you what it was?
Assuming that you found a set of 10 people who knew or could guess what it was, how many of them could tell you its value in dollars within 10%?
Feb 8th, 2008, 06:07 AM
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I'm not sure what acceptance of foreign currency by tourist attractions and shops has to do with the strength of that currency.
That fact that places accept dollars outside the US only means that they get enough customers who want to pay in dollars and are willing to pay a premium for the 'convenience' of not changing money.
If places in the US start to accept euros; all it means is that there are enough tourists from Euroland that are too lazy to change money (or use plastic) and don't mind paying over the odds for using euro cash.
That fact that places accept dollars outside the US only means that they get enough customers who want to pay in dollars and are willing to pay a premium for the 'convenience' of not changing money.
If places in the US start to accept euros; all it means is that there are enough tourists from Euroland that are too lazy to change money (or use plastic) and don't mind paying over the odds for using euro cash.
