Record low EUR/THB rate affecting expats?

[ExpatOilWorker]

Euro went to .825 15 years ago. That's 26 baht per Euro. Hope you Euro men have a backup plan. As for me, my US dollars are getting the best exchange rate in years(32.9). Lucky us Americans..

Yep, it is great and I am looking forward to a cheap vacation with the family in Europe this summer.

[Aussieroaming]

Everyone was killing the pig with their exchange rates but it's cyclic. Take the good with the bad and think about the average. Try not to exchange currency until it strengthens against the baht is all you can do, or look for contract work paying $USD.

[Cypress Hill]

I don't think it'll be long before the pips are squeaking for Brits too.

I remember the blood in the streets when we went to 44 to the pound.

Quite a few premature retirees gave up, went home and swapped the condos and courtesans for bedsits and benefits

[Asiantravel]

Yep, It's good news for American. And when the FED starts increasing interests rates, it will just get better.

When you say it will get better do you mean it will get more entertaining to watch the fallout in the global economy?

I know nothing. I don't predict currency fx. I am wondering how the Fed can raise interest rates when the dollar is already strengthening, the US has a trade deficit, and many countries historically have tried to lower the value of currency to keep exports strong. I don't see how it benefits the US to have this strong of a currency other than buying imports.

I only have about a dozen outrageous theories as to why the dollar could be so strong. Time will tell what will happen.

And I have no idea about your dozen outrageous theories but after almost $4 trillion in money printing we see dollar strength. I think it just goes to show how screwed up things are in this world.

[elliss]

Euro went to .825 15 years ago. That's 26 baht per Euro. Hope you Euro men have a backup plan. As for me, my US dollars are getting the best exchange rate in years(32.9). Lucky us Americans..

God bless America ,

[elliss]

I don't think it'll be long before the pips are squeaking for Brits too.

I remember the blood in the streets when we went to 44 to the pound.

Quite a few premature retirees gave up, went home and swapped the condos and courtesans for bedsits and benefits

Ouch , leave my benefits , out of this debate .

I am due back in LOS, next week , after my medical review . kap

[Friendly Stranger]

Look across the board, many currencies have been hit, so join the club. Can$ has been getting clobbered but this is other currencies losing ground is Thailand's problem.

I know an acquaintance that is whining about it excessively, it's the state of what's going on everywhere. It just seems like everything is coming to a head all at once. Just be happy you're able to actually travel, as the majority cannot.

[MrY]

I read an article on Yahoo Finance earlier this week, regarding the exchange rate between the US$ and the Euro. The article said that projections are that the Dollar and the Euro will be at par by the latter part of 2015. Of course, since I read the article, the Euro has dropped from 1.09 to the dollar, to 1.05 today. It went further to project a bottom of .82 Euros to the dollar within 2 years. This is due to both Draghi's project QE and the pending interest rate increases in the US. How this will effect the exchange rate to the Thai Baht remains to be seen.

Parity in the second half of the year? Looks like it's gonna get thereabouts in the second half of this month! Euro lost about a percent of it's value [against USD] just Friday afternoon, and there's been the same kind of closing time panic for last three weeks. Markets have zero confidence European recovery. Note: I say 'thereabouts' as breaking the parity is also a psychological barrier and there may be some "resistance" at 1 to 1. Not taking a guess on how far it will plunge as markets seem to be shifting into full-blown panic mode and as falling falling Euro may seriously dampen US recovery. Wait and see.

[NeverSure]

I know nothing. I don't predict currency fx. I am wondering how the Fed can raise interest rates when the dollar is already strengthening, the US has a trade deficit, and many countries historically have tried to lower the value of currency to keep exports strong. I don't see how it benefits the US to have this strong of a currency other than buying imports.

I only have about a dozen outrageous theories as to why the dollar could be so strong. Time will tell what will happen.

And I have no idea about your dozen outrageous theories but after almost $4 trillion in money printing we see dollar strength. I think it just goes to show how screwed up things are in this world.

Welllll. I first heard the forecast of the crash of the dollar in the early 1970's. By now it must be getting about time, LOL. I wish I had a dollar for everyone who told me to buy gold at almost $2,000 because the dollar was about to crash.

If the dollar gains another 10% against the Euro I'm going to buy Paris, LOL.

[Loptr]

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-03-13/why-dollar-rising-global-monetary-bubble-craters

Why The Dollar Is Rising As The Global Monetary Bubble Craters

Yet I am constantly braced with questions about the US dollar and its impending demise. The reasoning seems to be that if America is a debt addicted dystopia—-and it surely is—- won’t the US dollar sooner or later go down in flames as the day of reckoning materializes? Won’t you make money shorting the doomed dollar?

Heavens no! At least not any time soon. The reason is simply that the other three big economies of the world—Japan, China and Europe—are in even more disastrous condition. Worse still, their governments and central banks are actually more clueless than Washington, and are conducting policies that are flat out lunatic—–meaning that their faltering economies will be facing even more destructive punishment from policy makers in the days ahead.

[Berkshire]

Its only a matter of time before the American Federal Reserve will make the decision to increase interests rates and see the USD go into freefall once their debt ridden society can't pay!

Hmmm, you do understand that this will have an opposite effect. The only reason the US Fed is considering raising interest rates is to cool down an overheated economy. The value of the dollar will increase, but that is of no interest to them. They're looking at other things like inflation. Same with the EU and their upcoming QE. They're not interested in the currency exchange rate, but more about putting some life into their sluggish economies. This will result in a weaker Euro, which will indirectly help EU exports.

If it's any consolation, I wouldn't say the US$ is doing "great" against the THB. We're just not as bad off as the Euro/Pound/Aus/Cad. I can remember the US$ being at 40+, sliding down to under 30, and "recovering" to just 32.7 or so. Not great, but not bad. I do believe that if and when the US Fed increases interest rates, it will have a positive effect on the US$ vs. the THB.

[micmichd]

Which EU exports?

Most productions are gone to countries with lower wages...

I'm expat in Thailand, and I give a f*** about EU exports.

Edited March 15, 2015 by micmichd

[chris2004]

Euro went to .825 15 years ago. That's 26 baht per Euro. Hope you Euro men have a backup plan. As for me, my US dollars are getting the best exchange rate in years(32.9). Lucky us Americans..

Yep, it is great and I am looking forward to a cheap vacation with the family in Europe this summer.

If you are looking for a "cheap" holiday in Europe you may be disappointed. Even at current rates nowhere is a cheap as the USA.

[paddyjenkins]

Which EU exports?

Most productions are gone to countries with lower wages...

I'm expat in Thailand, and I give a f*** about EU exports.

A few years ago I had a meeting with a particularly obnoxious local of Chinese ethnicity, the kind whose extended families have amassed a certain level of cash largely through working 20 hours a day but have no concept of living life. Assuming I was European he lost no time in telling me how Asians had no debt, and that Europe had nothing marketable to sell. The debt thing is wrong, but i somehow doubted he would begin to understand were i to explain swelling household debt across Asia, local government debts in China etc. I looked down at this shrunken gollum like creature and i asked him with feigned curiosity which country the car he had driven in, had come from, the BMW, a status symbol the family shares. The numbskull, whose English was good enough, seemed not to understand the question. Later he mentioned he had had an operation on his back in Singapore. How i wonder had he gotten to Singapore. In Thai made planes, or Chinese ones. Ahh no, they would be US or European. Guess that would be above his head too. Then i wondered which country built the MRI they would have used to look at his back, ditto for the rest of the technology for the operation, and the technique. I could go on and on. I wondered what he would have for lunch later, perhaps noddles....they, i grant, will be local. Edited March 15, 2015 by paddyjenkins

[micmichd]

Luxury and quality goods like Think pads and I phones are manufacturerd in China now, Toyotas in Thailand, BMWs elsewhere.

Thailand has become a domain for medical and caretaking services, it's considered to be one of the cleanest and healthiest countries in the world.

There isn't ready much left for EU exports.

Hopefully nobody wants to import the European rat race mentality for increasingly worthless money.

[Asiantravel]

Its only a matter of time before the American Federal Reserve will make the decision to increase interests rates and see the USD go into freefall once their debt ridden society can't pay!

Hmmm, you do understand that this will have an opposite effect. The only reason the US Fed is considering raising interest rates is to cool down an overheated economy. The value of the dollar will increase, but that is of no interest to them. They're looking at other things like inflation. Same with the EU and their upcoming QE. They're not interested in the currency exchange rate, but more about putting some life into their sluggish economies. This will result in a weaker Euro, which will indirectly help EU exports.

If it's any consolation, I wouldn't say the US$ is doing "great" against the THB. We're just not as bad off as the Euro/Pound/Aus/Cad. I can remember the US$ being at 40+, sliding down to under 30, and "recovering" to just 32.7 or so. Not great, but not bad. I do believe that if and when the US Fed increases interest rates, it will have a positive effect on the US$ vs. the THB.

" Cool down an overheated US economy? "

Can you please provide a source on which you base this statement? If it’s based on what some people have described as robust employment figures then I think you need to carry out a bit more research and establish some facts behind the headlines? And if if the US economy is so overheated why do they still need to give food stamps to 48 million people?

American Mystery Story: Consumers Aren’t Spending Even In a Booming Job Market

http://www.theautomaticearth.com/2015/03/the-american-story-is-a-mystery-only-to-economists/

Edited March 15, 2015 by Asiantravel

[Johnniey]

I don't think it'll be long before the pips are squeaking for Brits too.

I remember the blood in the streets when we went to 44 to the pound.

Quite a few premature retirees gave up, went home and swapped the condos and courtesans for bedsits and benefits

It depends when they came here. If they came pre 1997, 44 is ok. If the came in 2000, then they would feel poorer although it's all relative.

Anyway this is about the Euro nt the dollar or GBP. I came here long before the Euro was invented so know nothing about it.

[marioc]

Which EU exports?

Most productions are gone to countries with lower wages...

I'm expat in Thailand, and I give a f*** about EU exports.

A few years ago I had a meeting with a particularly obnoxious local of Chinese ethnicity, the kind whose extended families have amassed a certain level of cash largely through working 20 hours a day but have no concept of living life. Assuming I was European he lost no time in telling me how Asians had no debt, and that Europe had nothing marketable to sell. The debt thing is wrong, but i somehow doubted he would begin to understand were i to explain swelling household debt across Asia, local government debts in China etc. I looked down at this shrunken gollum like creature and i asked him with feigned curiosity which country the car he had driven in, had come from, the BMW, a status symbol the family shares. The numbskull, whose English was good enough, seemed not to understand the question. Later he mentioned he had had an operation on his back in Singapore. How i wonder had he gotten to Singapore. In Thai made planes, or Chinese ones. Ahh no, they would be US or European. Guess that would be above his head too. Then i wondered which country built the MRI they would have used to look at his back, ditto for the rest of the technology for the operation, and the technique. I could go on and on. I wondered what he would have for lunch later, perhaps noddles....they, i grant, will be local.

thank you for the post, man...... just great!

[Cypress Hill]

Can you please provide a source on which you base this statement? If it’s based on what some people have described as robust employment figures then I think you need to carry out a bit more research and establish some facts behind the headlines? And if if the US economy is so overheated why do they still need to give food stamps to 48 million people?

Agreed. US economy is on the brink of a sharp slowdown; maybe even a recession.

All the optimism is centered on the employment figures but they ignore retail sales down 3 months in a row DESPITE a 60% fall in the price of crude oil that puts more money in their pockets. They're blaming it on the weather

The new jobs are mostly part time, service sector, low-paying McJobs. Millions of Americans are working 2 or 3 of them just to make ends meet

Interest rates aren't going anywhere with the dollar strong, prices falling and nobody spending in the malls.

If anything, expect more QE

[paddyjenkins]

Luxury and quality goods like Think pads and I phones are manufacturerd in China now, Toyotas in Thailand, BMWs elsewhere.

Thailand has become a domain for medical and caretaking services, it's considered to be one of the cleanest and healthiest countries in the world.

There isn't ready much left for EU exports.

Hopefully nobody wants to import the European rat race mentality for increasingly worthless money.

Most BMW plants are still in Germany, although they do have plants in places such as Mexico, to be closer to a key market and take advantage of cheap labour. Do you think that makes BMW a Mexican car? LOL, you probably do, i get the feeling you aren't very bright. Where cheap labour makes sense, assuming sufficient skill and education, some lower level manufacturing is done outside Germany. I assure you none of the design or intelligent work is done in Thailand....none. Ditto for the other examples I gave. A country like Thailand serves to provide some companies with cheap labour for simpler jobs, but in no way does their minor role detract from the fact these products are European.

So you are entirely wrong.

Same story for everything else I said. Europe remains a huge designer and manufacturer of high end products.

By the way, why were you almost locked up in "falang land"?

Edited March 15, 2015 by paddyjenkins

[micmichd]

Ever heard the word "brain drain"?

More and more designers and intellectuals leave the EU now, for good reasons.

I was almost locked up in Germany for political and economic reasons.

Edited March 15, 2015 by micmichd

[paddyjenkins]

Ever heard the word "brain drain"?

More and more designers and intellectuals leave the EU now, for good reasons.

I was almost locked up in Germany for political and economic reasons.

Question was whether Europe still makes stuff. It does. End of story.

Locked up in Germany for both political and economics reasons eh? Are you sure not just fraud or something like that, or mental issues? Germany isn't a country normally associated with arresting people for political reasons so i suspect a little delusion there.

[MaeJoMTB]

Ever heard the word "brain drain"?

More and more designers and intellectuals leave the EU now, for good reasons.

I was almost locked up in Germany for political and economic reasons.

Question was whether Europe still makes stuff. It does. End of story.

Locked up in Germany for both political and economics reasons eh? Are you sure not just fraud or something like that, or mental issues? Germany isn't a country normally associated with arresting people for political reasons so i suspect a little delusion there.

Nazi or Marxist (shall we be polite and say 'right wing extremist' or at the other end 'Autonomen')

Edited March 15, 2015 by MaeJoMTB

[micmichd]

Still.

My personal history in Germany is off-topic.

[micmichd]

Ever heard the word "brain drain"?

More and more designers and intellectuals leave the EU now, for good reasons.

I was almost locked up in Germany for political and economic reasons.

Question was whether Europe still makes stuff. It does. End of story.

Locked up in Germany for both political and economics reasons eh? Are you sure not just fraud or something like that, or mental issues? Germany isn't a country normally associated with arresting people for political reasons so i suspect a little delusion there.

Nazi or Marxist (shall we be polite and say 'right wing extremist' or at the other end 'Autonomen')

[micmichd]

"Marxist" ("cynic" in PC-newspeak)

[MaeJoMTB]

"Marxist" ("cynic" in PC-newspeak)

Molli or Musli?

[micmichd]

Musi (the in-between tones that you never see on a piano keyboard)

Edited March 15, 2015 by micmichd

[northernphil]

here you are

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/807664-bye-bye-europe-exapats-and-holiday-goers/

Ozzy dollar down from 30 to 25 (20% less)

Russian ruble down 60%

Looks like everyone except the Yanks and the Brits are screwed.

Hey I'm a Brit. 10 years ago when I first came here I was getting 73B - quid. now 49B -quid.

[MaeJoMTB]

here you are

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/807664-bye-bye-europe-exapats-and-holiday-goers/

Ozzy dollar down from 30 to 25 (20% less)

Russian ruble down 60%

Looks like everyone except the Yanks and the Brits are screwed.

Hey I'm a Brit. 10 years ago when I first came here I was getting 73B - quid. now 49B -quid.

That was an anomaly caused by the financial crash.

Before it was 35bht/GBP for decades.

At the moment GBP is still doing better than expected.