Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with exchange and finance

Most bang for the buck

Iteki — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 14:15:22 -0800

Financefilter: Better to buy sterling now in bulk, or monthly for a year? Asking for a friend. We have had a look at this, this, and this previous.

Said friend has euro savings. She needs to pay for a course in sterling on a monthly basis starting this month. Having exchanged enough for the current installment already she has lost about 10p per pound purely to the rate disparity. It adds up.

That said, is she better off exchanging the entire fees now at 89p per euro or will it work out as closer to parity if exchanged on a monthly basis throughout the year? Law of averages or something?

If it's relevant, she is intending to relocate to the uk later in the year.

Are there other good options she is missing here? For example would paying by credit card negate bank commissions or anything?

Swobody! Fabryk! i Ziemi! Help my exchange my zloty!

deafmute — Tue, 24 Jan 2006 19:26:56 -0800

I have a not-insignificant amount of Polish zlotych. Help me figure out if and how I can exchange it... My zlotych appears to have been issued in 1988. My local currency exchange told me that the zloty was recently reissued by Poland, and that it might not be possible for me to get this exchanged. Is there someone knowledgeable in regards to Polish currency that could give me some advice and let me know whether this is worth anything or if I've just got some fancy paper?

This is what is looks like.

International Money Transfers

srboisvert — Tue, 27 Dec 2005 07:04:57 -0800

What is the best way to do international transfers in order to get the best currency exchange rates and avoid excessive bank transfer fees? Transferring from the UK to Canada is costing me £20/transfer.

exchange rate fight!

Popular Ethics — Mon, 09 May 2005 15:28:12 -0800

This week, apparantly, the financial movers and shakers in the US have "toughened up" their demand for China to let their currency float with respect to the US dollar, saying, among other things, “Failure to move on the renminbi means China is also not doing its fair share in reducing global payments imbalance" If their fixed exchange rate is the reason for China's enormous growth, what reason would they have to oblige? I've never heard an economist suggest "good will" as a motive for matters of international finance before. Frankly, it sounds (to my untrained ears) more like begging. Does the US hold any cards here? What risks does China take by not giving in?