Significant Eurozone GDP figures, out on Wednesday, demonstrated a contraction within the euro economy for the fourth consecutive quarter. However, as the figures were really only as bad as expected, the news of an improvement in German factory for June orders helped to support the euro and maintain its recent positive trend against the pound. A forecast this week from the IMF suggested that any upturn in Eurozone activity over the coming year will be very moderate and gradual. This fits with the position of those trying not to be carried away in looking for the end of the current down-turn and to for now just be satisfied that the rate of the downturn is finally easing.
Commodity backed currencies have enjoyed very strong levels of late and the increased demand in oil and metals have certainly been a major factor in this. Sterling did manage to make gains against the Australian dollar this week, achieving a price just shy of the $2.10/£1 mark at best, mainly due to a larger-than expected increase in Australian unemployment figures released mid-week.
Why is Currency Management So Important? Using a bank could cost you £3-4,000 per £100,000 transferred. Buying at the "wrong" time could cost you many £'000's more as rates can move as much as 3% in a very short period of time. Then add in transfer costs that the banks charge for sending and receiving funds and you could be looking at additional costs of £10,000 per £100,000 transferred. By developing a currency strategy and by working with a specialist currency broker these losses could be minimised if not eliminated.
Smart Client Testimonial: "Thank you for making our transactions go so smoothly. As promised, our account was opened within hours. Your traders were pleasant and efficient, and each transaction was very much at the exchange rate I expected...ie not a million miles away from the inter-bank rates and certainly much better than my high street bank could quote. All in all, an easy experience and we will have absolutely no hesitation in recommending your services to any of our friends buying property abroad." Ian Pritchard
If you haven't opened a Smart account yet, call me on freephone 0808 163 0102 or fill out our online Account Form at: http://www.SmartCurrencyExchange.com/application.htm
How much will a Property Cost? To estimate the cost of a property simply DIVIDE the price of the property by the appropriate rate noted above. But note this is based on the inter bank rate so the actual cost will be slightly more.
Charles Purdy
Smart Resources
Currency Strategy Worksheet
Need help creating a Currency Strategy? Download our Currency Strategy Worksheet:
http://www.smartcurrencyexchange.com/downloads/CurrencyStrategyWorksheet.pdf
Currency Report
Have your read our 10-page Currency Report that outlines the top 3 mistakes that overseas buyers make when exchanging and transferring their money overseas? Get the report here:
http://www.SmartCurrencyExchange.com/downloads/ThreeMistakes.pdf
Currency Quotation
Are you interested in a currency rate for Euros, US$'s, CYP, NZD, or any other currency, please fill out our Smart quotation form at: http://www.SmartCurrencyExchange.com/smartquotation.htm
