Aussie Dollar Drops in Value

Aussie Dollar Drops in Value

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Fiddlemesticks

Original Poster:

14,308 posts

221 months

Wednesday 8th October 2008
quotequote all
About a month ago it was $2.04 to 1GBP.

Today its $2.55 to 1GBP (at 3.09pm).

Good if you want to bring cash over, thats for sure.

RichardD

3,607 posts

250 months

Wednesday 8th October 2008
quotequote all
How much of the drop is down to the recent interest rate cut? Do you know the exchange rate as of before the interest rate cut?

Fiddlemesticks

Original Poster:

14,308 posts

221 months

Wednesday 8th October 2008
quotequote all
I think it was high $2.30's but really i think its symptomatic of the wide picture. Oz is in good health but if your biggest customers are in the poop, so are you.

smack

9,738 posts

196 months

Wednesday 8th October 2008
quotequote all

Monday morning GBP1 = AUD 2.28
Wednesday morning GBP1 = AUD 2.56

http://uk.finance.yahoo.com/currency/convert?from=...

Or the graph for the Yen to take the mess in the UK out of the equation

Monday morning AUD1 = YPY 83
Wednesday morning AUD1 = YPY 69

http://uk.finance.yahoo.com/currency/convert?from=...

smack

9,738 posts

196 months

Thursday 9th October 2008
quotequote all
http://business.theage.com.au/business/dollar-reco...
The Age / Bloomberg said:
Dollar recovers from 5-year lows

The Australian dollar rebounded from a 10% plunge yesterday after central banks around the world cut interest rates in a bid to ease the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. New Zealand's currency also rose.

The South Pacific currencies strengthened from their lowest in six years against the yen as the interest rate cuts encouraged investors to buy higher-yielding assets funded in Japan.

''We've now had a round of coordinated central bank easing, at some point that should begin to have a beneficial impact on risk assets and the financial markets,'' said Robert Rennie, chief currency strategist at Westpac Bank. ''If you start to see a wee bit more stability come through in Asian equity markets, the chances of a bit more stability in the Australian dollar is actually quite high.''

The Australian dollar rose for the first time in 12 days, gaining 1% to 66.53 US cents as of 7.27am from 65.85 in late Asian trading yesterday. It slumped to 64.51 cents yesterday, the weakest since September 2003. The currency climbed 1.3% to 66.37 yen, after dropping as much as 12.5% yesterday to 63.75, the lowest since September 2002.

New Zealand's dollar strengthened 1.4% to 60.16 US cents from 59.36 cents late in Asia yesterday. It dropped to as low as 57.92 yesterday, the lowest since September 2003. It bought 59.97 yen from 59.07.

Global Action

The currencies advanced after the Federal Reserve, European Central Bank, Bank of England, Bank of Canada and Sweden's Riksbank each reduced their benchmark rates by half a percentage point. The Bank of Japan, which didn't participate in the move, said it supported the action. Switzerland also took part. China's central bank separately cut its key rate 0.27 percentage point.

Benchmark interest rates are 6% in Australia and 7.5% in New Zealand, compared with 0.5% in Japan and 1.5% in the US, luring investors to the South Pacific nations' assets. The risk in such trades is that exchange-rate fluctuations may erase profits.

Any gains in the Australian dollar may be limited by a government report on employment to be released at 11.30am. The median estimate of 21 economists surveyed by Bloomberg News was for no change in September, after the number of people employed rose 14,600 in August.

''A weaker print would merely pile on a currency that seems incapable of putting up any defense,'' wrote David Watt, a senior currency strategist at RBC Capital Markets, in a research note.

Bloomberg

toomuchbeer

877 posts

213 months

Thursday 9th October 2008
quotequote all
I'm currently waiting for my house sale to go through in the UK, and fingers crossed it's any time now.

This is very good news for me for bringing the cash over. But I'm not holding my breath, as I'm sure as soon as the house sells, the dollar will be back at 2.00 to the pound.

pauldc259

158 posts

199 months

Thursday 9th October 2008
quotequote all
I'm delighted with this. I've been waiting for 6 months to bring the proceeds of a house sale over from the UK and bought my dollars last night at just over $2.60.... :-)


toomuchbeer

877 posts

213 months

Thursday 9th October 2008
quotequote all
pauldc259 said:
I'm delighted with this. I've been waiting for 6 months to bring the proceeds of a house sale over from the UK and bought my dollars last night at just over $2.60.... :-)
Out of interest, who did you use? and is it simple to do?

Edited by toomuchbeer on Thursday 9th October 03:35

Fiddlemesticks

Original Poster:

14,308 posts

221 months

Thursday 9th October 2008
quotequote all
toomuchbeer said:
pauldc259 said:
I'm delighted with this. I've been waiting for 6 months to bring the proceeds of a house sale over from the UK and bought my dollars last night at just over $2.60.... :-)
Out of interest, who did you use? and is it simple to do?

Edited by toomuchbeer on Thursday 9th October 03:35
Ian, just for info, i used these people: http://www.hifx.com/

They were excellent, did as they said and just built any costs into the currency rate so nothing further to pay.

pauldc259

158 posts

199 months

Thursday 9th October 2008
quotequote all
toomuchbeer said:
pauldc259 said:
I'm delighted with this. I've been waiting for 6 months to bring the proceeds of a house sale over from the UK and bought my dollars last night at just over $2.60.... :-)
Out of interest, who did you use? and is it simple to do?

Edited by toomuchbeer on Thursday 9th October 03:35
I've got an account with CBA in London which I use to transfer funds at market rate when I deposit in GBP. They only charge a fee (GBP35) for amounts less than 30k.

Della

174 posts

222 months

Thursday 9th October 2008
quotequote all
Now would be a great time to bring over the money I have in my house in the UK, it's just a shame there's no chance of being able to sell it for a reasonable price. I think I'll sit it out for a couple of years.

I transfer money each way using www.tranzfers.com.au
$15 per transaction (or the equivalent in £ coming the other way)

onny

325 posts

267 months

Thursday 9th October 2008
quotequote all
Fiddlemesticks said:
toomuchbeer said:
pauldc259 said:
I'm delighted with this. I've been waiting for 6 months to bring the proceeds of a house sale over from the UK and bought my dollars last night at just over $2.60.... :-)
Out of interest, who did you use? and is it simple to do?

Edited by toomuchbeer on Thursday 9th October 03:35
Ian, just for info, i used these people: http://www.hifx.com/

They were excellent, did as they said and just built any costs into the currency rate so nothing further to pay.
Hifx is great. There exchange rate is always much better than any bank's rate. They don't charge any fees for transfer to any account in the world. Highly recommended.

TheArb

446 posts

252 months

Friday 10th October 2008
quotequote all
toomuchbeer said:
I'm currently waiting for my house sale to go through in the UK, and fingers crossed it's any time now.

This is very good news for me for bringing the cash over. But I'm not holding my breath, as I'm sure as soon as the house sells, the dollar will be back at 2.00 to the pound.
that's what futures markets are for. Just do a forward. Don't miss the rate because of timing.

seandudding

495 posts

255 months

Friday 10th October 2008
quotequote all
I have been waiting for months to ship over a large amount. When it was at 2.68 wednesday I was in like a shot. Good timing really.

I just used my UK bank, max charge is £35.

Cheers Sean

TheArb

446 posts

252 months

Saturday 11th October 2008
quotequote all
seandudding said:
I have been waiting for months to ship over a large amount. When it was at 2.68 wednesday I was in like a shot. Good timing really.

I just used my UK bank, max charge is £35.

Cheers Sean
well done.

Colonial

13,553 posts

210 months

Thursday 16th October 2008
quotequote all
Let's just not talk about that. I'm in the UK suriving on Aussie dollars and it's not a pretty sight watching a grown man cry

smack

9,738 posts

196 months

Friday 17th October 2008
quotequote all
Colonial said:
Let's just not talk about that. I'm in the UK suriving on Aussie dollars and it's not a pretty sight watching a grown man cry
Try doing it on 3 to 1 before Aussie cost of living shot up ..... You got it easy.

PomBstard

7,030 posts

247 months

Friday 17th October 2008
quotequote all
I've just cancelled a flight I paid for in Euros about 2 months ago and even with the cancellation charge, have not lost money in AU$. And I've just closed a UK account cos I need cash here - nearly had to do it back in July - glad I could hang out.

On the flip side, a colleague has just seen the cost of his holiday to US and UK go up by 30% - that's a lot when its a family of four.

Any clues as to why AUD constantly yo-yos???

TheArb

446 posts

252 months

Friday 17th October 2008
quotequote all
PomBstard said:
I've just cancelled a flight I paid for in Euros about 2 months ago and even with the cancellation charge, have not lost money in AU$. And I've just closed a UK account cos I need cash here - nearly had to do it back in July - glad I could hang out.

On the flip side, a colleague has just seen the cost of his holiday to US and UK go up by 30% - that's a lot when its a family of four.

Any clues as to why AUD constantly yo-yos???
yep, there is a flight from risk going on at the moment, so the weak currencies are getting hit, not disimilar to a carry trade unwind.

smack

9,738 posts

196 months

Monday 20th October 2008
quotequote all


A view from a senior analyst from BNP Paribas - relates the the exchange rate

Why real estate spending could make Australia the new Iceland:
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/articles/2008/10/1...