Astroboy said:1. USD is the safest currency as it's backed up by US military force.
The dollar is weak against yen. Is now the time for Americans to travel to Japan?
Recession Hits Japan
According to this article, the dollar could fall to as low as 79.75 yen by next summer, according to analysis from the Bank of Tokyo.
Such a slump would represent a record post-World War II trough for the US currency, which has fallen by 17 per cent already in 2008.
At 07:35 GMT in London trading, the dollar was more or less unchanged at 93.29 yen, but one expert predicts that the greenback could be in for its biggest fall since the 1998 Russian financial crisis, when it slipped by 46.41 yen.
Masashi Hashimoto, a currency analyst with Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, told Bloomberg: "The dollar's monthly chart is a good indication that the longer-term trend is for the currency to depreciate.
The U.S. dollar will be "devalued'' as policy makers seek to weaken it, undermining the greenback's role as an international reserve currency, said Jim Rogers, chairman of Rogers Holdings in Singapore.
The dollar advanced against 15 of the 16 most-traded currencies since the end of June, losing out only to the yen, as a global financial crisis drove investors to the perceived safety of Treasuries. U.S. politicians want to reverse those gains to revive growth, Rogers said.
The dollar is ``going to lose its status as the world's reserve currency,'' Rogers said yesterday in a televised interview with Bloomberg News. ``It will be devalued and it will go down a lot. These guys in Washington, they want to debase the currency.''
Rogers said that he is buying the Japanese yen. All of the 16 most-active currencies have weakened against the yen since June, led by a 39 percent drop in the Australian dollar.
Bloomberg - Are you a robot?
I don't think Rogers is a prophet, but he is just leading investors to buy more commodities as his hedge funds will be able to earn more. It is fine to me as far as he fuels commodity market. But please do not say that he is buying JPY.The Rogers International Commodity Index Total Return has plummeted 52 percent from a record in July, including an 11 percent slide this month. The index has risen 124 percent over the past seven years.
The U.S. Senate failed on Thursday night to reach a last-ditch compromise to bail out automakers, effectively killing any chance of congressional action this year.
The $14 billion legislation officially died in the Senate late on Thursday after supporters failed to get enough support in a procedural vote.
Republican-brokered talks faltered, leaving the chamber at a dead end on an approach for extending $14 billion in loans to avert a threatened collapse of one or more automakers, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said in remarks on the floor.
"It's over with," Reid said.
Bush may tap bailout fund to aid automakers
Japan's national debt is almost twice the size of its GDP (this is by far the largest debt ratio in the group of industrial countries). More debts by spreading the tax-payer money to public projects (spreading the wealth) will bankrupt the Japanese government (and country). It is perilously getting close to the precipice of crushing collapse by the debt.Now is the time to reflate! Just print that 23 trillion yen for the fiscal stimulus without issuing bonds to cover it and the yen will weaken. Trust me on this.PM Aso, are you listening?
Japan's debt is all internal, which means it could pay it back simply by printing the money--something that Paul Krugman (recent nobel laureate) and I have advocated for Japan. This increase in money supply will have an inflationary effect and weaken the yen foreign exchange rate. Since deflation is the more worrisome problem and the yen has gotten stronger than is healthy for the economy, the Bank of Japan should go for it. However, the BOJ stubbornly behaves as though it was the uberconservative Bundesbank. ..sigh..
BTW, JB, good luck with your future endeavors. We all need to find our place under the sun.
As there is an increasing number of elderly people on the pension (or on the fixed income), printing money to pay for the national debt will put a significant pressure on that voting block in the Japanese electorate. Devaluing the yen will make the imports into Japan more expensive, while its export may be more attractive to the foreign markets.Japan's debt is all internal, which means it could pay it back simply by printing the money--something that Paul Krugman (recent nobel laureate) and I have advocated for Japan. This increase in money supply will have an inflationary effect and weaken the yen foreign exchange rate.
You got that right. Japan is now in recession. Its economy is so intertwined in the international market (as many other economic powers in the world) and if the international goes south, so it does. Time to get the parachute ready for the tough landing.JAPAN is powerless, and thus we are not in a position to support USD anymore as the country is known as "JaPain".
You got that right. Japan is now in recession. Its economy is so intertwined in the international market (as many other economic powers in the world) and if the international goes south, so it does. Time to get the parachute ready for the tough landing.
Can't you post more insightful comments? You are just reporting a news article.Well. today USD declines again against JPY. - JPY87-88/USD.
USA has continued to become Cheaper & Cheaper.
I think you know the answer to the future tax bill. It just keeps going up and up without any tangible benefit in return. Luckily, I would be able to stay away from Japan when that time comes.Well, well, the BOJ has decided to print money after all--it's buying gov't debt. But PM Aso has decided to use this chance to issue more debt to buy the next election...ummm, I mean buy Japan's way out of recession. I can't wait to see my tax bill in a few years.
Not all heavy fiscal stimulus programs cause pernicious impacts on the economy's long term health. Balancing the short term and long term deployment of the resources (tax payer money) is the key. Regardless of the old adage that your neighbor's lawn looks greener, I have a strong doubt on Japan's long term viability (if I have a kid, I will educate him/her outside of Japan).Be careful lest you go from the frying pan into the fire. The only developed country that is resisting heavy fiscal stimulus seems to be Germany. I've heard Berlin is a very comfortable city to live in. I might want to venture there myself someday.
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Strong Yen not good for Japan
The other thing, Japan needs a weaker currency. Japan's economy is export oriented, just like China's. If Japan's currency is stronger than the US currency, then you might as well close the Japanese economy and call it a day. However, a stronger currency might help the Japanese finance market, even though that one is already in tatters. Unfortunately, due to the negligence of Japan's politicians, Japan has lost the title of regional financial capital to little brother Hong Kong. Strong financial reforms are needed.