So how bad is the dollar doing vs European currencies?

[nadinbrzezinski]

In this case the Swiss Franc? Ok I will spare you the exchange rate. I had to pick up a watch today... parts for saith watch are made in Switzerland. Was talking to the watchmaker... here is an example... a replacement band (yes high end watch)... it's gone up from 75 dollars to 150 bucks. Did I mention that happened in two weeks?

OH NOES, but it is a luxury item!!!! OH absolutely, but there are NON luxury items that are coming from yes even Switzerland that will go up with that... in other words, the dollar is starting to crash. The watchmaker came from Russia and well, I grew up in a country where currency controls existed for real at one point, and this did not shock me... but that is a very concrete example. What could some of these non luxury items be? Fine and precision tools for example, used in several industries... like aviation.

Yes you can go troll the business pages, but this is a very real world example... so offering that in this vein.

And as I said. watch... whatever luxury item... but there are things that are not... and this tells me just how far the dollar has been falling. Watch the bouncy ball, it is going to get harder.

[customerserviceguy]

1. Well, since you brought it up

May I ask what non-luxury items we get from Switzerland? I suppose one of my ex's considered Swiss chocolate in that category.

[nadinbrzezinski]

2. As I said tools that are used in the aviation industry

and other precision work... like jewelry, for example.

I would not consider precision tools to be a luxury item.

SOME medical equipment too, again not in the luxury category.

As to chocolates, we can debate it...

:hi:

Of course the balance of trade would probably favor us.. I hope.

[customerserviceguy]

3. OK, I didn't know

and figured you would. Thanks much for the information!

[nadinbrzezinski]

4. Oh you welcome, they mostly trade INSIDE Europe

:-)

But the real life example struck me as the stories I heard from my dad way back in the day.

Oh and I forgot, the textile looms my dad imported into Mexico oh in the dark ages, were made in Switzerland too.

So I would guess they are still in the textile business.

[dkf]

5. It was falling until the beginning of the month. It's up nicely since then.

That is as measured by the DB long US Dollar index against the euro yen pound looney krona and franc.

[nadinbrzezinski]

6. Since he deals in swiss francs

as he put it, setting prices is hard since the exchange rate is that volatile.

Oh and remember they are NOT part of the EU.

[hfojvt]

7. it seems to be about even from the last 120 days

the lowest was April 7th 1.0888 dollars to the Franc.
the highest was August 10th 1.3747 dollars to the Franc
and the latest on September 22 is 1.09556

http://www.x-rates.com/d/USD/CHF/graph120.html

the dollar has gained quite a bit on the Franc since August 10th. The watchband price may be changing for other reasons, or it may lag behind the exchange rate.

[nadinbrzezinski]

8. I think it is lagging behind

as they usually do... (having seen this with the Peso)