The Australian $

[bmanly]

I have been watching the baht against the AUD for about 14 years now and at present we are at an all time high against the baht, nearly 31 BHT to 1 AUD. Apart from the Asian Crisis, this is the highest I have ever seen the AUD. 2 Months ago I posted a similar question and a few of you replied suggesting the AUD would not go that much higher than 1 AUD to 75c USD, now it's almost 80c.

The THB appears to be quazi pegged to the USD (everytime the USD moves in any direction the THB follows it) but almost every currency and in particular the GBP and AUD has appreciated immensely against the THB. I transferred some AUD over at 30 BHT to the AUD but where to from here? I am going to Thailand for 6 Months next Month and I am trying to pick the highs, (I know that's a mugs game but why not try).

I am here in OZ on the ground our economy is booming, the AUD is appreciating big time. My question is to those on the ground in Thailand, where do you think the AUD will go against the BHT? Will it get better or worse against the BHT? Would you buy now or later? Opinions?

[Pink Mist]

Just goes to prove the experts dont have xtal balls.

I have been watching with interest too and today is around 30.7 baht/AUD.

You probably listen to the same financial gurus on TV as me and the feeling is that it's the US dollar thats dropping the Aussie is staying the same. In fact if you were looking at AUD against kiwi$ it has lost a bit sometimes down to $1.12. Was watching ours against the pom and Euro but figures escape me.

Westpac have an online service that gives you the trends for the last 6 months I think (from memory) so might check later on. I am not into money changing big time but it makes it handy when you have to pay for something back there.

[Pink Mist]

Have a look in that westpac site, it gives you the last couple of financial years plus this year up to january, Aussie dollar against the world currencies.

[samran]

http://www.oanda.com/convert/fxhistory

this site is an excellent site for all this stuff.

http://www.oanda.com/convert/classic gives you the up to the minute spot rate.

To be honest, dunno whats going to happen versus the USD. I have said before that the aussie isn't going to go much higher, but I am being proven wrong...so there you go. But against the pound, it has averaged 0.41 to 0.42 pence for the last 6 months and fairly stable.

You are also right that the baht is pegged to the USD, like most Asian currencirs. Whatever the Bank of Thailand says about the baht having been floated in 1997, in reality it wasn't. It was some call a "dirty float".

[TizMe]

AUD was the worlds highest performing currency in 2003. Pain in the butt for those of us earning USD but sending it home to Oz.

[bmanly]

Never mind TizMe, 2 years ago you would have been cleaning up as we were only 47c US to our $.

According to a news article here about all the predictions some 80% of so called Gurus got the AUD wrong in 2003.

As for me I am thanking my lucky stars that it's in my favour for a change when I first went to Thailand I was only getting 18 BHT to 1 AUD.

[tuky]

A little off subject, but in September when I started my current contract I elected to get paid in pounds rather than US. Lucky me, in Sept. the baht was 67.7 to the pound, right now according toXE.com the baht is 74.07 to the pound.

Needless to say I have had a great pay rise.

I am little bit of a pessimist, so I would be thinking about changing my AUD/GBP now, I would perhaps buy some US now, as it has to get better against the AUD sooner or later yeah?

But that's just me, and I am a telecommunications guy. So do not listen to me.

[bmanly]

I think you are right tukyleith. I've already done the baht change but now I am looking at the USD too. You simply can not gain 40% against a currency and not expect a correction of some kind. You may only be a telco and I never went to uni but if 80% of the so called gurus did get it wrong then I think we may have just as good a chance or better to pick it right.