The Euro vs. the Pound - will they ever be closer in value?

[Roy Hersh]

Currently the Euro rests at $1.397, while the sterling GBP maintains a valuation of $1.494. From my recollection, this is the smallest spread we've seen since the Euro was released. Do you believe the differential will continue to decrease? Will we ever see them at par?

Also, what is your predicition for where these two currencies will be six months down the road?

[Nuno Esteves]

Hm, I am far from being an economy guy, but if the pound continues to slip, eventually the English decide that enough is enough and join the euro or at least freeze the rates.

The English and some of the Nordics are feeling the pressure and one way to stabilize their currencies is to link them to the Euro.
An african country (Cabo Verde) has already done that, with good results.

And it is a very good thing to be able to move around most of Europe without having to change currency.

About the US$, I really don't know what to expect. Here the prices are perahps more linked to the amount of reserves the Chinese/Indian/Russian banks sell in US$ , Eur and ... precious metals.

[Roy Hersh]

The Euro vs. the dollar has not changed much and is still hovering in close proximity just below the $1.40 mark, while the pound has continued its free fall and is now right at $1.45. Parity is not far from becoming a reality and a year ago, who woulda thunk it even remotely possible?

[Derek T.]

OMG these are hard times to travel outside the UK!!

Although the headline exchange rate is around 1.04 Euro : £1 in reality you get around 0.96 Euro : £1.

Jo and I spent New Year in Dublin and were paying 11 Euro (£11.45) for 2 pints of Guinness. A pint of Guinness in the Uk would be anywhere between £2.?? - £4. 6 months ago £11.45 would have equated to around $22, today it is $15. We had 2 nights out in Dublin drinking only Guinness. We put £250 over the bars.

Bring back The Empire :devil:

[Roy Hersh]

OMG these are hard times to travel outside the UK!!

Yeah, it must have been terrible for all those years when the GBP was 2:1 with the USD. Now you know how we feel visiting the UK!

I went to a movie while in London this year. To sit in the orchestra of the theater cost the equivalent of $20 and there was a premium to sit up higher in the mezzanine which actually cost $26.

This is crazy! We pay $8-10 depending where you live in the USA for a movie. There is no price difference, no matter where you sit at the movies ... but here, for concerts and plays, the orchestra seats are the expensive seats with the mezzanine being the bargain. For what I paid for the movie in London, you could pay for a movie, popcorn, soda and parking in Seattle. :devil:

[Derek T.]

Roy,

Those prices are only charged in London. Everywhere else in the UK is one price for anywhere in the cinema and around half the price of tickets in London. I took my son to the cinema in London last summer. By the time I paid for tickets, 3 hours car parking and two hotdogs I was around £80 (then $160) poorer than when I went in

All I can say about the current $:£ exchange rate is - get you hands off our cheap vintage port!!!!! :help:

[Glenn E.]

All I can say about the current $:£ exchange rate is - get you hands off our cheap vintage port!!!!! :help:

My Christmas present from my wife was a new 8-bottle WineCruzer! I fully intend to exploit the cheap £ then next time my company sends me to Dublin... BB&R, here I come!

(Sadly, I'll only be able to buy 6 bottles because 2 of the spaces are already reserved. )

[Derek T.]

All I can say about the current $:£ exchange rate is - get you hands off our cheap vintage port!!!!! :help:

My Christmas present from my wife was a new 8-bottle WineCruzer! I fully intend to exploit the cheap £ then next time my company sends me to Dublin... BB&R, here I come!

(Sadly, I'll only be able to buy 6 bottles because 2 of the spaces are already reserved. )

Do you have any idea when you are likely to get yourself over here? Please try to give us as much notice as possible so that an off-line can be arranged

[Glenn E.]

Do you have any idea when you are likely to get yourself over here? Please try to give us as much notice as possible so that an off-line can be arranged

Sadly, I have no real idea. My company has cut back on T&E significantly, and all international travel must be approved at the Executive level. I'm a dotted line to one Exec here in Seattle, though, so I expect to be able to make one trip some time this year. If the economy improves so that we're beating estimates, I'll probably be able to make more than one. But I doubt that I will be able to make a trip before May or June at the earliest, as we're hunkered down right now doing our best to be fiscally responsible. It wouldn't surprise me if I'm not able to travel until fall.

Given the approval requirements we have for travel this year, I suspect I'll have plenty of notice. Probably a month, at least.