Falling!!! Help!!!

[drron]

NYC hotel prices are starting to fall.Several reasonable hotels now under $US200 a night and this is peak season for them.

 

[Keith009]

Everytime I went to the US, the AUD was around $0.80. I wish I've had some trips there when we were $0.90. But even at $0.62 shopping in the US (clothes, shoes and hair products especially) is still way cheaper in the US. For instance I got my shampoo at Fred Segal in LA for USD17 a bottle, which is way cheaper than what MeccaCosmetica are retailing the same thing for at AUD48! Same with hair wax.

 

[Mal]

To put things back into perspective, 5.5 years ago I took the family on a 3 month ATW holiday. Over the period we were away, the A$ value was in the range US$0.62-US$0.65. We survived for 3 months paying for hotel rooms, rental cars, food and entertainment.

On the other perspective though, hotel rates in the tourist areas of the US have been going up around 10-25% per year since then. So in today's environment, the $A at the current level doesn't come close to covering the same hotel requirements.

I also feel inflation has brought up prices quite a bit over even the last 12 months or so.

As was posted elsewhere, I have noticed hotel prices are coming back down (which is a relief!). Las Vegas in particular are having huge sales (even at the high end hotels which don't normally discount) and other particularly expensive places like San Fran and NYC are starting to come back down.

March or April next year could be a great time to visit, and more on par with your experience 5 1/2 yrs ago.

 

[NM]

Australian dollar to hit all-time low of US47c, bank says

from news.com.au:

THE Australian dollar will hit an all-time low of US47c by the middle of next year, a major French bank says.

Meanwhile, several economists are expecting official interest rates to fall to the lowest levels in almost half a century as Australia faces the biggest global economic turmoil since the end of World War II.

BNP Paribas says the domestic currency will plunge, from its present level of US65c, by the June quarter of 2009, as the economies of Australia's major trading partners softened.

 

[drron]

Just need a few more economists predicting a fall in the Aussie and we then should get a fair rise.

 

[serfty]

... get a fair rise.

Hope that wasn't a homophonetic error ... :shock:

 

[JohnK]

Just need a few more economists predicting a fall in the Aussie and we then should get a fair rise.

Is anyone still listening to what economists have to say? Especially an economist from a French bank!

Property prices will continue to fall so I do not understand the policy of reducing interest rates in trying to stimulate demand. To put it simply most people are not spending because they are bracing themselves for the worst....

 

[oz_mark]

Back up over US70c this morning.....

 

[Alanslegal]

The AUD has snuck its head over the US70c mark again.

Yes the AUD is like riding The Lethal Weapon ride at Movieworld on the Gold Coast but I'm hoping it goes up a tad higher, say US75c, by close of January

Also good to see the 1AUD now getting 5.45HKD

 

[Flashback]

The AUD has snuck its head over the US70c mark again.

Yes the AUD is like riding The Lethal Weapon ride at Movieworld on the Gold Coast but I'm hoping it goes up a tad higher, say US75c, by close of January

Also good to see the 1AUD now getting 5.45HKD

I really hope it brings itself up against the RM in the next 6 hours or so

 

[JohnK]

I am back from overseas holiday and the AUD will continue to rise until my only planned overseas holiday for 2009 in September....

 

[straitman]

I am back from overseas holiday and the AUD will continue to rise until my only planned overseas holiday for 2009 in September....

Thanks JohnK. We appreciate your thoughtfulness in making this notification :!:

 

[docjames]

I am back from overseas holiday and the AUD will continue to rise until my only planned overseas holiday for 2009 in September....

/change on/ doc goes online and changes September bookings to August......

 

[drron]

Sorry but here is another prediction.Seeing the dollar edge up to over 72 cents i told my wife i was going to buy more $US in the next CC cycle.It then dropped 2 cents so expect the Aussie to fall for the next 10 days or so.
Also will be in the states in April so the Aussie will probably hit new lows at that time.

 

[Alanslegal]

The AUD droppped close to 70c late last evening only to nudge forward past 71cents this morning. If and when it gets close to 75c then I'll prepay all my U.S travel expenses for April/May '09. Till then its sit back, enjoy the rollercoaster ride and RISK it would plummet even more.

 

[JohnK]

Aussie dollar may fall below $0.50

Interesting article on a prediction from Morgan Stanley on the short term future of the AUD.

 

[trooper]

Alanslegal!... I am approaching it the same way (three trips to the USA May/Jun/Jul) so I think - from past experience - that you are in BIG trouble!:mrgreen:

It always drops when I plan to purchase!

 

[oz_mark]

Re: Aussie dollar may fall below $0.50

Interesting article on a prediction from Morgan Stanley on the short term future of the AUD.

When you go back to this time last year and get all the predictions fromthe experts, then compare that to what happened, one thing is clear. The experts making the forecasts haven't got a clue.

 

[serfty]

The experts making the forecasts haven't got a clue.

... If they had (a clue), they'd be keeping quiet and making a fortune!

 

[JohnK]

Maybe they are still making a fortune by confusing everyone regularly.