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Forex basics: make money with money, part 1
FOREX or The Foreign Exchange market refers to an international exchange market where simultaneous buying of one currency and selling of another is done. Currencies are traded in pairs, for example Euro/US Dollar (EUR/USD) or US Dollar/Japanese Yen...

Money Laundering in A Changed World - Part II
Money Laundering in the Wake of the September 11 Attacks Regulation The least important trend is the tightening of financial regulations and the establishment or enhancement of compulsory (as opposed to industry or voluntary) regulatory and...

Trading Forex To Advance Your Financial Position
Everyday, currencies are traded in an international foreign exchange market, otherwise known as the forex market, with the main marketplaces (otherwise known as bourses) existing in the world’s financial centes New York, London, Tokyo, Frankfurt and...

What is a Forex Market Maker?
The investor in the currency market takes for granted that a pair of currencies can be bought or sold at a moment’s notice. Once an order is placed with a broker, the trade is executed within seconds. It is, of course, not as easy as that. ...

What's Fibonacci Forex Trading?
Fibonacci forex trading is the basis of many forex trading systems used by a great number of professional forex brokers around the globe, and many billions of dollars are profitable traded every year based on these trading techniques. Fibonacci...

 
Factors Influencing a Currency Pair Exchange Rate

Introduction


The exchange rate refers to the value of the US dollar against the values of currencies of other countries. Such a rate helps determine how much we pay for imported goods and services and how much we receive for what we export, among other things. When the value of the US dollar drops, imports become more expensive, and we tend to reduce the volume of our imports. Simultaneously, other countries will pay LESS for some of our products and that will tend to boost export sales. If imports and exports are a substantial part of a country's economy, as is the case with Canada, the exchange rate plays a particularly important role in our economy. The exchange rate between two countries' currencies is particularly important if the two countries are heavily involved in trade.


What factors affect an exchange rate?


A country's exchange rate is typically affected by the supply and demand for that country's currency in international exchange markets. This is typically known as a floating exchange rate. If demand, for say dollars, exceeds supply, then the value of the dollar will go up. If however, the supply of dollars exceeds demand, then its value will go down. A huge amount of money is bought and sold on international exchange markets for many different currencies.


Several factors influence the supply of, and demand for, a given country's currency.


If INTEREST rates are HIGHER in, say, the US than in other countries, then investors WILL choose to invest in the US,


Milestone At University Of Michigan: Muslim Chaplain
Even though the number of Muslim students pursuing higher education is growing, very few colleges have Muslim chaplains. This semester, the University of Michigan became the first public school with a Muslim chaplaincy, but the position is privately funded to maintain a separation of church and state.

Case In Britain Echoes Dilemma At Guantanamo
A British immigration judge ruled Monday that a longtime terrorism suspect and detainee should be released on bail. But U.K. officials say Abu Qatada's release would put Britain's national security in peril. The case shows how much Britain is grappling with the issues that have bedeviled U.S. authorities seeking to shutter Guantanamo.

In South Carolina, Dead-Voter Fraud Doesn't Quite Live Up To Fears
What initially looked to some like widespread voter fraud in South Carolina will likely turn out to be much more benign. A state official said that out of the first six names checked, five involved clerical or poll worker errors, such as someone marking the wrong voter's name in the poll book. The sixth case involved a man who had sent in an absentee ballot, and then died.


increasing demand for the dollar, provided that the expected rate of inflation is not higher in the US than among our trading partners. If INTEREST rates are LOWER in the US than in other countries, investors will choose NOT to invest in the US, decreasing demand for the dollar.


If the US INFLATION rate is HIGHER, investors are LESS likely to prefer the US -even with higher interest rates- because of the expectation that the value of the dollar will be ERODED by inflation. If our INFLATION rate is LOWER, investors are MORE likely to prefer the US, because there will be NO expectation that the value of the dollar will erode.


Trade balance also has an effect on a country's currency. If world prices for what a country exports rise in comparison with the cost of that country's imports, that country will be earning more for its exports than it pays for its imports. The more demand there will be for that country's currency, the better the deal becomes. If investors are confident that the US economy will be strong, they will be MORE likely to buy American assets, pushing UP the dollar's value. If investors are not so confident that the economy will be strong, they will be LESS likely to buy the country's assets, pushing the dollar's value DOWN.
About the author:

Joshua M. Kunken is Currency Analyst for ForeignMarketWatch.com. His articles may also be found at ForexTrack.com