Saturday, April 12, 2008

MAJOR CURRENCIES

Foreign currency exchange rates are what it costs to exchange one countrys currency for another countrys currency. For example, if you go to England on vacation, you will have to pay for your hotel, meals, admissions fees, souvenirs and other expenses in British pounds. Since your money is all in US dollars, you will have to use (sell) some of your dollars to buy British pounds.

Assume you go to your bank before you leave and buy $1,000 worth of British pounds. If you get 565.83 British pounds (?565.83) for your $1,000, each dollar is worth .56583 British pounds. This is the exchange rate for converting dollars to pounds.

If ?565.83 is not enough cash for your trip, you will have to exchange more US dollars for pounds while in England. Assume you buy another $1,000 worth of British pounds from a bank in England and get only ?557.02 for your $1,000. The exchange rate for converting dollars to pounds has dropped from .56583 to .55702. This means that US dollars are worth less compared to the British pound than they were before you left on vacation.

As you can see from the example, currency exchange rates fluctuate. As the value of one currency rises or falls relative to another, traders decide to buy or sell currencies to make profits. Retail customers also participate in the forex market, generally as speculators who are hoping to profit from changes in currency rates.

Foreign currency exchange rates may be traded in one of three ways:

1. On an exchange that is regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). For example, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange offers forex futures and options on futures products. Exchange-traded forex futures and options provide their users with a liquid, secondary market for contracts with a set unit size, a fixed expiration date and centralized clearing.

2. On an exchange that is regulated by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). For example, the Philadelphia Stock Exchange offers options on currencies (i.e., the right but not the obligation to buy or sell a currency at a specific rate within a specified time). Exchange-traded options on currencies have characteristics similar to exchange-traded futures and options (e.g., a liquid, secondary market with a set size, a fixed expiration date and centralized clearing).

3. In the off-exchange, also called the over-the-counter (OTC), market. A retail customer trades directly with a counterparty and there is no exchange or central clearing house to support the transaction. Off-exchange trading is subject to limited regulatory oversight.



ajor Currencies

Currency
Last Trade
U.S. $
N/A
¥en
5:08pm ET
Euro
5:36pm ET
Can $
5:26pm ET
U.K. £
5:46pm ET
AU $
5:46pm ET
Swiss Franc
5:30pm ET
1 U.S. $=
1100.85000.63351.02430.50741.07731.0008
1 ¥en=
0.00991610.0062820.0101570.0050320.0106820.009924
1 Euro=
1.5785159.196711.61690.80101.70061.5798
1 Can $=
0.976398.45750.618510.49541.05170.9771
1 U.K. £=
1.9707198.74191.24842.018612.12301.9722
1 AU $=
0.928293.61400.58800.95080.471010.9290
1 Swiss Franc=
0.9992100.76940.63301.02350.50701.07641


Other Currencies

USD / ARS 3.1505 3.1555 0.0000 0.00 3.1580 3.1520 14:00
Argentinia Peso
USD / BRL 1.6870 1.6920 0.0000 0.00 1.6915 1.6830 14:00
Brazilian Real
USD / CLP 446.25 446.75 0.00 0.00 450.40 434.25 14:00
Chile Peso
USD / CNY 7.0050 7.0100 0.0000 0.00 7.0070 6.9920 14:00
China Yuan Renmimbi
USD / EGP 5.4543 5.4547 0.0000 0.00 5.4315 5.4705 12:48
Egyptian Pound
USD / GRD 215.35 215.85 0.00 0.00 216.48 214.88 14:00
Greek Drachma
USD / HKD 7.7856 7.7906 0.0000 0.00 7.7902 7.7855 14:00
Hong Kong Dollar
USD / HUF 159.45 159.95 0.00 0.00 159.85 158.80 14:00
Hungarian Forint
USD / IDR 9177.5 9178.5 0.0 0.00 9190.0 9181.0 13:25
Indonesian Rupiah
USD / ILS 3.5968 3.5972 0.0000 0.00 3.6230 3.5960 14:00
Israeli Shekel
USD / INR 39.86 39.96 0.00 0.00 39.97 39.73 13:54
Indian Rupee
USD / JOD 0.7098 0.7102 0.0000 0.00 0.7090 0.7090 14:00
Jordanian Dinar
USD / KRW 975.55 976.05 0.00 0.00 976.40 972.90 14:00
Korean Won
USD / KWD 0.2651 0.2655 0.0000 0.00 0.2656 0.2653 14:00
Kuwaiti Dinar
USD / MXN 10.5328 10.5378 0.0000 0.00 10.5560 10.5248 14:00
Mexican Peso
USD / MYR 3.1485 3.1535 0.0000 0.00 3.1570 3.1475 10:52
Malaysian Ringett
USD / PHP 41.54 41.59 0.00 0.00 41.69 41.51 11:04
Philippine Peso
USD / PKR 63.11 63.16 0.00 0.00 63.19 63.15 13:26
Pakistan Rupee
USD / PLN 2.1721 2.1731 0.0000 0.00 2.2001 2.1530 14:00
Polish Zloty
USD / RUB 23.43 23.53 0.00 0.00 23.53 23.44 12:20
Russian Ruble
USD / SAR 3.7482 3.7532 0.0000 0.00 3.7504 3.7500 14:00
Saudi Arabia Riyal
USD / SGD 1.3580 1.3584 0.0000 0.00 1.3595 1.3572 14:00
Singapore Dollar
USD / THB 31.61 31.71 0.00 0.00 31.58 31.58 06:42
Thai Baht
USD / TRL 1.3050 1.3060 0.0000 0.00 1.3086 1.2949 14:00
Turkish Lira
USD / TWD 30.26 30.36 0.00 0.00 30.35 30.23 12:12
Taiwan Dollar
USD / ZAR 7.7840 7.8040 0.0000 0.00 7.8604 7.7568 13:51
South African Rand

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