Isaan sailor

Yes, currency markets close on Sunday. Some of the weekend listings skew currencies downward. I prefer Wise because they seem to have better weekend accuracy.

Good explanation, thanks very much. No, they never covered foreign exchange in our junior or high school, but they should. I understand reserve currencies and pairings. Baht exchange rate matters when you’re contemplating a major purchase.

Tough to give up sugar—but you can easily reduce your intake.

Thank you once again for the best, most thorough and logical response. I have searched the internet without finding any adequate explanations for this high Dollar/mid level Baht situation. in my next life—when I retire, I shall chose a tropical country whose currency is hard-pegged to the Dollar.

Agreed, Baht is partially dependent on the Dollar. When the Dollar rises—the Baht barely moves. But when the Dollar falls—the Baht rises swiftly.

I compared the Baht to SE Asian currencies, plus China. It only takes a few minutes.

Thanks for the thorough explanation—once again. But if the Baht is only partially dependent on the USD, then why did we get a better exchange rate last May and June, when the USD was considerably lower than today? Did Thailand suddenly stop importing oil, or perhaps a looser peg?

Go to Wise. You can easily compare currencies. Set the timeframe to Year To Date. If you chose Dollars, notice the YTD for any currencies against the Dollar. You can clearly see how the Baht has resisted the Dollar’s recent rise, contrary to most other currencies. Look at the graph, Most currency comparisons show a distinct V shape., The Baht looks more like a left hand check mark. The question is, why?

Thanks for your update. USD is not strong in Thailand. We have foreign inflows that jack the Baht. Funny, every country has foreign inflows, but Thailand must have way more. Last I checked at Wise, USD 34.33, so by the time we get it, we lose 1% or more. That puts it down in 33.xx. Not exactly strong here. Last May, the USD was weaker—but we got a much better rate—35 to 36.

When I lived in America, I followed the advice of the book “The Millionaire Next Door”: modest house, used cars, etc. Divorce changed my life, so I moved to Thailand, Now living with my Thai wife—we have a two story house in an Isaan farming village, and we just bought a new Ranger. Can’t hide things here…

Bath stronger. It’s also holiday high season in China, Vietnam, Philippines, Indonesia, but they don’t keep their currencies unreasonably high. Do the comparison.

Something is wrong with Thai Baht valuations. Yesterday, the USD on Tradingview reached a multi-year high of 108.40. And the Chinese Yen, Philippine Peso, Vietnam Dong, and Indonesia among most currencies responded with the related multi-year high for the USD. In Thailand, the USD could only muster a five-week high. Another way to look at it: earlier in May and June, when the USD on Tradingview slumped to 105–the USD/Thai Baht came to 35.50 Bank of Thailand claims foreign inflows push up the Baht. Who are the biggest foreign exchange customers? China, Japan and Taiwan. Sure, the Baht is not pegged to the Dollar, but they’ve suddenly set a very high bar for the USD.

Somehow, CNN got itself into US airport lounges. I hope that contract has ended.

She’s good at tearing paper…

Who keeps voting for these octogenarians?