Verified Document

Foreign Currency Exchange Rates Currency Is Fiat Essay

¶ … Foreign Currency Exchange Rates Currency is fiat money -- it's a coin or bank note that has value because the government says it does and as such becomes legal tender -- one is required to accept it to fulfill a debt. When the issue of currency leaves domestic grounds and becomes an issue of foreign exchange, things become really complicated. If a company wants to buy goods or services from someone else in a different country, they have to figure out how to pay for those goods or services. Since all currencies were not created equal this becomes a challenge and is the foundation of the most intricate market in the world -- the Foreign Exchange, where currencies are bought and sold based on continuously fluctuating values or exchange rates.

The exchange rates of currency make the world go round. Exchange rates affect the costs of imported and exported goods and services, and hence, the profitability of all kinds of different businesses. If a country's currency is strong, that means the citizens of that country have a high standard of living -- they can travel to other countries, buy imports,...

But that also means the product of that country is expensive for other countries, so they cannot export as much. If a country's currency is weak, that means the people living there have a low standard of living -- foreign travel is difficult, as is affording foreign imports. However, their products are really cheap for everyone else so they can sell a lot.
The exchange rate is the price of one country's currency expressed in another country's currency. For example, as of 12:42 EST on 21 September 2011, one euro was determined to be equivalent to one dollar and thirty-seven cents, give or take a few tenths of a penny. In the short-term, this rate is determined by investors buying and selling currencies on a minute by minute basis. This is currency trading, much like the stock market. A country needs to have a supply of all the different types of currency it may want to do business in, but some currencies are very unstable so it is not a great idea to keep them for long. Another reason people buy and sell currency is because they predict a currency will go up in value and they buy it when it is low so…

Sources used in this document:
Works Cited

Currency. Wikipedia. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Currency.

Groh, R. (2009). Best currency exchange rates [Web]. Retrieved from http://www.ehow.com/video_4765879_currency-exchange-rates.html.

Groh, R. (2009). What determines the foreign exchange rate? [Web]. Retrieved from http://www.ehow.com/video_4766767_what-determines-foreign-exchange-rate.html.

Groh, R. (2009). Who sets currency exchange rates? [Web]. Retrieved from http://www.ehow.com/video_4767575_sets-currency-exchange-rates_.html.
Piana, V. (2001). Exchange rate. Economics web institute. Retrieved from http://economicswebinstitute.org/glossary/exchrate.htm.
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Fiat Case Study Fiat, Once
Words: 2120 Length: 7 Document Type: Thesis

In the case of Toyota they have focused on supply chain integration, collaboration and collaborative forecasting and replenishment (CPFR) workflows. What emerges from this SWOT analysis from a competitive analysis standpoint is that while Fiat was concentrating on product-driven strategies for differentiation, its competitors had embraced and were well on their way to making processes their core competitive advantage, especially those augmenting personal productivity (Porter, 2008). Fiat's opportunities however are

F/X Markets Today's Foreign Exchange
Words: 1262 Length: 4 Document Type: Essay

The stability is evident in the statistics as well. Between 1880 and 1914, the golden age of the gold standard, inflation averaged 0.1%. Between 1946-2003, even with Bretton Woods, inflation average 4.1% (Bardo, n.d.). Short-term price changes, however, could be highly unstable. This is a consequence of the fact that the gold standard ignores fundamental economic principles. Any system where the value of a good is established by artificial

Australian Dollar F X Analysis
Words: 2615 Length: 8 Document Type: Essay

Foreign Exchange In November of 2012, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) announced that the Australian and Canadian dollars would be added to its list of reserve currencies. This status is the highest for any currency, and implies that the currency is a very reliable store of value. A reserve currency is backed by a nation's assets, like any fiat currency, but with reserve currencies there are also the conditions of good

Australian Securities Exchange and Interest Rates
Words: 1959 Length: 7 Document Type: Essay

Australian Securities Exchange and Interest Rates The Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) and the Australian Stock Exchange Index (ASX 200) comprise a heavily traded securities, debentures, derivatives, and FOREX market that has grown precipitously over the past decade. Additionally, the monetary policy of the Australian Federal Reserve has facilitated economic policy in favor of growing its companies represented within the ASX 200 index. The truth is that all central planners adjust rates for

International Economics US Direct Investment
Words: 1622 Length: 5 Document Type: Essay

Interest rates usually increase to curb inflation as to encourage investment to remove currency from the consumer economy. Exchange rates; primarily floating rates and managed floats Exchange rates refer to the difference between currency rates when exchanging the base currency (the currency in possession) for the exchanged currency. For example 1 USD:: 1.60 GBP is an exchange rate denoting 1 USD can be readily exchanged for 1.60 GBP. Floating rates are

School of Engineering and Design
Words: 15360 Length: 56 Document Type: Dissertation

The last century has seen an increase in the level of international purchases which has been supported by the developments in transportation and technology. Goods can move faster than before with developments in logistics. The negotiation and forming contracts for purchase with companies and communicate with potential suppliers in distant countries is also easier than in the past with the internet and tools such as video conferencing and emails.

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now