Jump to content

$US down 1.5% against baht this year...only 9 days into the year!


Stickman

Recommended Posts

I notice that the US dollar has slipped almost 1.5% against the US dollar this yearâ?¦and weâ??re only 9 days into the year. In Bangkok a crisp new $US100 note will get you just 3,276 baht. 50s and 20s will get you less.

 

I am interested in how this is affecting people. My feeling is that for guys venturing here for a bit of fun it is an added cost factor the holiday but the exchange rate alone would not be enough to put you off (although when you factor in other changes like price increases, the combined effect could be enough to reconsider.) What I am most interested in are those guys retired here. My feeling is that it must bow be at the point when some guys are hurting, and for sure, there must be some belt tightening going on. How has it affected people? If you have been affected, what is the net effect? Do you go out less? Drink less? Not go to the dentist?

 

I joked with some of the guys at work that if it dropped another 10%, they would be earning about the same as they would in an equivalent job at work. If it drops further than that, well, who knows where itâ??s goingâ?¦.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 27
  • Created
  • Last Reply
I notice that the US dollar has slipped almost 1.5% against the US dollar this yearâ?¦

that's something not even Greenspan could achieve! :neener:

 

the USD actually already lost over 10% against THB during 2007!

 

as i am not paid in usd i can't answer your question!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

 

Hi Stick,

 

I've seen my apartment rent go from just over $700 US when I moved in Feb. '04 to just about $1,200 US now. That is mostly due to the USD's declining value here. The other major difference for me is the higher cost of airfare (paid in THB) to the USA.

 

Honestly, I have not changed my lifestyle much even though I am on a fixed income/pension. This is because I planned well for my retirement and the USA stock market has been good to me (uh, but not lately). I figure my gains in my investments just about offset my currency exchange losses. No one likes getting less for his USD, but focusing on that will make your retired years not enjoyable.

 

Would I consider leaving Thailand for this reason? Not just this reason, but when you combine it with a few other negatives (political uncertainty, increased pollution, more resentment of farangs by Thais IMO,and others) it does make one do some hard thinking.

 

To get back to your original question, the only thing I have adjusted is my purchasing of big-ticket items and taking trips for pleasure. Those I have cut back on, and I would say it does have a lot to do with the decline of the USD.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank God I get paid in Euro.

 

I notice that the dollar is even down against the Kip... for Jesus' sake!

 

The Dollar was buying about 25-27 baht at the time of the Asian economic crisis?

 

When the baht becomes too strong, exports will be hit badly...

 

Are we in for another bust?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I saw the dollar going down, so I left LOS toward the end on Nov (2007) and returned to the USA to work for a while and charge up the bank account.

It has proved to be a good financial move!

 

I do not like to see the dollar continue to go down as that will keep me working in the USA for that much longer, which means that I am not in LOS spending $$$ so LOS loses.

 

For sure, when I return to LOS, I will not be spending so freely and will be looking at other countries to live in.

 

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't know how this will work out in reality, but Americans traveling to foreign countries have every reason to decline. The value of the dollar hasn't just gone down, it has been demolished and many think it will go down further. The economy is in bad shape battered by high oil prices, the lending crisis, the markets are said to be near burst, and a recession is widely predicted in 2008. Many fear leaving the safety of the US for foreign lands believing it will increase their chances of becoming a terrorist target.

 

But in terms of Thailand, one curious statistic is it wasn't that long ago the exchange rate was just 25 baht to the dollar. The dollar is stronger compared to the baht now than it was a little over a decade ago.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.


×
×
  • Create New...