Tuesday, March 4, 2008

U.S. Dollar Continues to Plunge Against Japanese, European and Canadian Currencies

The U.S. dollar continues to fall against major currencies, as it is flirting with its all-time low against the euro. For the euro, the dollar was only able to buy $1.5208. For the British pound, it increased a little to $1.9859, up from $1.9847.

In late trading in New York, it also fell against the Canadian dollar, going to 1.0042, down from Monday's 1.0074 cents.

The Japanese yen also increased against the U.S. dollar, climbing to 103.14, up from 103.96. Japan's leadership is getting more concerned about the weakening dollar, as it has fallen by over 7 percent in 2008 already. They're concerned that their exports could suffer if it continues at this "abnormally rapid" rate.

This of course isn't bad news for all businesses in the U.S., as manufacturing will benefit from the weakened dollar, as well as tourist-related businesses that attract a lot of international visitors. The question there is if the weakening domestic tourist market will be made up for by foreign tourists. That has yet to be answered.

As far as the Canadian dollar, the Canadian bank cut borrowing rates by a half point; the first time since November 2001. They've indicated more cuts may be on the way in April.

For the Australian dollar, things are going the other way, as they continue to battle inflationary pressures, and continue to raise their interest rates, today increasing it by a quarter point, which now stands at 7.25 percent.

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