Canadain $$$ is on par with US $$$

[SaberX]

WOW i just herd that at somepoint today(Thursday) that owr Canadain dollor was worth MORE than the USA dollor.

I bet one of thease days you guys down in the USA when we (canadains) buy a laptop from you , would want us to pay you in CDN funds... ( Just kidding )
It's great for us up here BUT must be bad for some of you people down there.

I remember years ago at one point that my sister went to go on a trip in the USA.She went to the bank to get $500.00 CDN turned into USD. She got something like $280.00usd for her $500.00cdn.

[rkawakami]

OUCH! Didn't realize that the USD slipped so much.

edit: Yahoo Finance 1 year USD to CAD graph

[compnerd4]

WOW!!

[tom lightbody]

the Euro is $1.40 now; when I left Poland in 2002, it was $0.85.
thanks, George

[jdhurst]

Currency moves, but the cycles can be long as in the case of Canadian currency. ... JDH

[SHoTTa35]

yeah, i saw that this morning in the paper. The first time in 30yrs!! LOL I'm not Canadian but my friend from Ottawa was excited She's like gonna change some money into American just incase it goes back up, she'll then change it back into Canadian and be rich! LOL (probably wont for a while but who knows)

[ms5133]

Americans should not start to worry about their currency until the Fed starts issuing $1.00 or $2.00 coins.

A U.S greenback is still the universal currency.

[jdhurst]

Universal currency has some serious limitations (conversions and losses) when travelling. I carry CDN dollars in my wallet, and an assortment of US Dollars, UK Pounds, and Euros in my briefcase. And even though they are going the way of the DoDo birds, I have a few travellers cheques as well. Never hurts to have cash when travelling. ... JDH

[qviri]

It touched 1.00026 USD again this morning, and has been hovering around 99 cents and change. Essentially parity.

I suspect it's going to drop off a bit soon, but the mark's been made. It'll go higher in the long term.

I wonder how Apple will justify an iPod costing 350 USD and 400 CAD. If prices don't change, I fully expect sales to drop. I know I have no intention of overpaying 14% when I can just ask my parents to take a 30 km trip across the border.

[rkawakami]

Americans should not start to worry about their currency until the Fed starts issuing $1.00 or $2.00 coins..

Already has happened for a $1 coin:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susan_B._Anthony_dollar

Both the Susan B and Sacagawea $1 coins are still in circulation. I usually get them as change from the local light rail system here in San Jose.

[GomJabbar]

Ray, they had silver dollars back in the 1800's!

I used to own one, until one of my brother's acquaintances stole it.

[jdhurst]

I had a number of Susan B. Anthony coins when I lived in the North East - no longer have them now.

BTW, having used bills for 40 years in Canada, US and overseas, I can tell you that lightweight (not silver, not pure nickel) dollar and two-dollar coins make life simpler and easier. I would not want to back to one-dollar bills - they don't work real well in parking meters and such like. ... JDH

[ms5133]

Understand there are $1 US coins, but you still have $1 bills, and as far as I know the use of bills far outweighs the use of coins.

In Canada we have no choice, and as for walking around with a pocket full of loonies and toonies.. no thanks..give me paper any day. That way when I sneak out for a beer the better half won't hear the jingling.

As for parking meters (at least in Montreal) most are debit card friendly.

[tfflivemb2]

Americans should not start to worry about their currency until the Fed starts issuing $1.00 or $2.00 coins..

Already has happened for a $1 coin:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susan_B._Anthony_dollar

Both the Susan B and Sacagawea $1 coins are still in circulation. I usually get them as change from the local light rail system here in San Jose.

I just picked up a new John Adams Gold Dollar coin yesterday for my son...

[BigWarpGuy]

The new 'gold' US Dollar coins have (or will have ) the US presidents on them. The 'gold' dollar is thicker and heavier than the quarter. The Susan B Anthony dollar was the same shape and weight as the quarter and was mistaken for it. Even the vending machines that it was a quarter. The new 'gold' dollars do not have the same problem. Vending machines recognize it as a dollar. This is not always true of cashiers even though it is a totally different color than the quarter. If the US gov wanted to get everyone to use the new 'gold' dollar coins, they could get rid of the dollar (paper) bills.

I think the Canadian 2 dollar coin is neat.

[qviri]

In Canada we have no choice, and as for walking around with a pocket full of loonies and toonies.. no thanks..give me paper any day. That way when I sneak out for a beer the better half won't hear the jingling.

Order two beers and pay with a bill

[bill bolton]

A U.S greenback is still the universal currency.

You don't travel much outside North America then!

Cheers,

Bill B.

[Toine]

But to be ontopic again.

It's getting scary for the US these days. I now get 1.41 dollars for my euro.......this is huge.

I hope bush gets real and act before it is too late. (by the way, it looks like the american's can't be bothered with it. This is not an good sign If this goes any futher, you will have an depression).

Check this out too:
http://finance.yahoo.com/currency/conve ... amt=1&t=5y

[pianowizard]

It's getting scary for the US these days. I now get 1.41 dollars for my euro.......this is huge.

Gee, so you paid only 510 euros for my X41 tablet!

[Toine]

It's getting scary for the US these days. I now get 1.41 dollars for my euro.......this is huge.

Gee, so you paid only 510 euros for my X41 tablet!

Actually because of paypal, 530, but still........it was well priced.

But this is what I mean, people here on the forum that are not willing to sell ouside of the US are crazy. (just my own opinion). because they can get some good money for there Ibm's.

[ms5133]

"You don't travel much outside North America then!"

Actually I do.

I am fortunate to work for a major airline, and that allows me to travel extensively outside of North America at a reduced cost.

I have yet to have a problem spending a US dollar anywhere.

But back on topic.. in which the orginal poster compared the Canadian to US Dollar.

Just a few facts..the last time the Canadian dollar was near the US dollar was in Nov.76(.9944)

To compare USD to CAD just some numbers to throw out there:

Jun/82 .7759
Dec/85 .7016
Sep/91 .8909
Feb/02 .6253

And even thought the Canadian dollar is at par, more or less, heres some prices that Canadians pay versus US prices( Source
the Montreal Gazette 09/21)


Magazines
O CAD 5.75 USD 4.50

Mens Health CAD5.99 USD 4.50

DVDS
Star Wars Tri(4disk) CAD79.98 USD 50.49

Coffee
1lb Joya del Dia CAD19.03 USD12.45

Cars
Honda Civic DX CAD18190.00 USD15180.00

Books
Palestine Peace not Apartheid CAD18.99 USD15.00
Songs without Words CAD 32.00 USD24.95


Shoes
Puma Future Cat CAD119.99 USD89.99


I guess what I,m trying to say is, that Americans still have an economic advantage over Canadians even with their weak(for now) dollar.

[BigWarpGuy]

But to be ontopic again.

It's getting scary for the US these days. I now get 1.41 dollars for my euro.......this is huge.

I hope bush gets real and act before it is too late. (by the way, it looks like the american's can't be bothered with it. This is not an good sign If this goes any futher, you will have an depression).

Check this out too:
http://finance.yahoo.com/currency/conve ... amt=1&t=5y

I have read that Europeans consider America as affordable. Perhaps more Europeans would come to the USA to visit and spend money?

[Robbyrobot]

Ray, they had silver dollars back in the 1800's!

They existed, but were not circulated much, until 1964. I used to go to the bank to get a few, just to feel the weight. That was back in the days before the "Lyndon Johnson Memorial Quarters" (clad base metal), which we used to joke were made of the old beer cans picked up on the sides of highways in Lady Bird's "Keep America Beautiful" campaign.

I have read that Europeans consider America as affordable. Perhaps more Europeans would come to the USA to visit and spend money?

Affordable, but not particularly pleasant to visit, BigWarpGuy. A lot of Europeans, me included, have no desire to go where they're treated as only criminals used to be: with fingerprinting, mugshots and the works - including "free" listing in a lifetime database. I'm sincerely sorry to bring this up, but present realities are impossible to ignore.

To anyone who compares my above comments, I might note I was born and raised in the States, and only came to Germany in 1966. So I know both worlds from many years of personal experience.

[beeblebrox]

Ray, they had silver dollars back in the 1800's!

They existed, but were not circulated much, until 1964. I used to go to the bank to get a few, just to feel the weight. That was back in the days before the "Lyndon Johnson Memorial Quarters" (clad base metal), which we used to joke were made of the old beer cans picked up on the sides of highways in Lady Bird's "Keep America Beautiful" campaign.

I have read that Europeans consider America as affordable. Perhaps more Europeans would come to the USA to visit and spend money?

Affordable, but not particularly pleasant to visit, BigWarpGuy. A lot of Europeans, me included, have no desire to go where they're treated as only criminals used to be: with fingerprinting, mugshots and the works - including "free" listing in a lifetime database. I'm sincerely sorry to bring this up, but present realities are impossible to ignore.

To anyone who compares my above comments, I might note I was born and raised in the States, and only came to Germany in 1966. So I know both worlds from many years of personal experience.

I could not agree more!
Just last week my colleague had a flight to NYC, and never had so much hassle. He told me that for the first time in his life he was scared to death when suddenly one of the immigration officers took him aside and put him waiting in an empty room for about 45 minutes.
All because, his business VISA from his old passport was not transfered to his new European passport and not in the US database. And then the usual procedures such as photographs, fingerprinting, endless questions, (no body search so far...).

In the end he was dumped back to the terminal corridor, without any comments or apologies.

Woah, the only similar experience I know was when you visited East Germany or the Soviet Union and had to deal with Stasi and KGB.

America, the land of the free...!

[beeblebrox]

A U.S greenback is still the universal currency.

Not anymore! If you check the world bank figures, you'll see that the EURO is currently almost at par at the Dollar, in terms of foreign reserves of most nations.
Within the next 12 months the EURO will become the prime currency. Even Arabic states are now officially considering the EURO as the prime exchange currency and China is currently dumping huge amounts of Dollars on the currency market.

If presidents continue to be featured on new Dollar coins, then Monkey Bush will prominently display on a U.S. quarter coin. That's where he has driven the dollar in value...

Imagine, the dollar value in the 1930's was arount 25 times higher than today. And the U.S. had a neglegible deficit and foreign debt.

[Toine]

What would be really interesting is if they confirt the parrel price to euro's instead of dollars.....

[BigWarpGuy]

A U.S greenback is still the universal currency.

Not anymore! If you check the world bank figures, you'll see that the EURO is currently almost at par at the Dollar, in terms of foreign reserves of most nations.
Within the next 12 months the EURO will become the prime currency. Even Arabic states are now officially considering the EURO as the prime exchange currency and China is currently dumping huge amounts of Dollars on the currency market.

If presidents continue to be featured on new Dollar coins, then Monkey Bush will prominently display on a U.S. quarter coin. That's where he has driven the dollar in value...

Imagine, the dollar value in the 1930's was arount 25 times higher than today. And the U.S. had a neglegible deficit and foreign debt.

Are you sure it is the monkey Bush or the monkey Democrats that control the House and Senate? I blame the Democrats.

[furrycute]

This is the reality of a post industrial economy.

[Robbyrobot]

Imagine, the dollar value in the 1930's was arount 25 times higher than today.

Only 25 times?

You know, I hold a EUR 2 coin in my hand, a little larger than a quarter and intrinsically nearly worthless - some brass alloy in the center and a copper-nickel ring pressed over it. Yet this piece of junk - a token really - is currently worth around US$2.40.

I also have a 1912 $2.50 gold piece - yes, 900 fine gold, and about as large as a dime but of course much heavier. This is what the dollar was once worth, when the price of gold had been $20.67 an ounce for many decades.

In those days, the dollar really was as good as gold. That stopped in 1934, when gold stopped being coined and all gold was confiscated - exchanged for paper - by the government. That led to an artificial gold price of $35 an ounce (artificial since there was no free market for it in the USA). The devaluation continued in 1974, when it first became impossible to redeem silver certificates in silver, and they were finally withdrawn altogether. Since then, we've had a "paper standard", which governments love since they no longer have to back their paper promises with anything more than other promises. Go to a bank and try to redeem your $10 bill in "lawful currency". They'll look at you as if you'd lost your mind, and with some justification.

This development was, unfortunately, not limited to the USA. I can still remember hoarding (yes, the word is correct) German 5 Mark coins (which used to be 667 silver, better than nothing) in the early 70s, and hearing the laughter at my bank because I was being so silly. Well, people don't laugh nowadays, and those silver 5 Mark coins are worth quite a premium in today's paper standard money.

Moral of the story: all governments everywhere debase their money because that's profitable for the government, and (secondarily) a small amount of inflation tends to keep the economy running well. An individual, however, can only lose and is nearly always better off having and keeping "solid values" than easily-devaluable paper.

[jdhurst]

Well, in the scheme of things, there *is* inflation. It is not a machevalean plot or government plot - it is just a fact. And even with inflation, there is growth. I could buy a bigger house and a better car than my parents could afford - that is, a year of my salary purchased more than a year of their salary in the older time. So it is just a wee bit more complex than the straight value of the currency. ... JDH