Tarrifs, and now a dropping US dollar...

[hornbuilder]

The US$ used to be at a relative 1:1 parity to the Euro. That has changed noticeably, with it currently costing US$1.14 for 1 Euro. And dropping.

[BGuttman]

The Euro has always been a little above the dollar. I'd really be worried if it got to $1.25 to the Euro or more.

[chromebone]

The even bigger concern should be rising bond yields. Essentially, investors are betting against us at this point That’s likely the reason Trump backed off of some of the tariffs, (although it’s still not entirely clear what is or isn’t in at this point) but it’s still not enough to stop us from hurtling us towards recession, or worse, if this keeps up.

[LeTromboniste]

A better indicator than the Euro, which is somewhat volatile (and itself not particularly strong these days), is the Swiss Franc (CHF), which is very stable and considered by many a "safe haven" currency. Both the EUR and the USD are extremely low to the CHF right now (all-time low for the EUR, and only second lowest for the USD after a brief window in 2011 where the Franc was rapidly valuating). In the last 10 years, the USD has typically been close to parity with the CHF, typically staying between $0.98 and $1.08 to the CHF. Right now it's at $1.226.

[BGuttman]

A better indicator than the Euro, which is somewhat volatile (and itself not particularly strong these days), is the Swiss Franc (CHF), which is very stable and considered by many a "safe haven" currency. Both the EUR and the USD are extremely low to the CHF right now (all-time low for the EUR, and only second lowest for the USD after a brief window in 2011 where the Franc was rapidly valuating). In the last 10 years, the USD has typically been close to parity with the CHF, typically staying between $0.98 and $1.08 to the CHF. Right now it's at $1.226.

Wow. When I was in Switzerland back in the 1990s it was going from 3 ChF to 2 ChF to the dollar. I should have loaded up on francs back then

[Bach5G]

Is it fair to assume US-built Shires can re-enter the US from Canada tariff-free?

I mean,I can’t think why they’d be tariffed, but I may be missing something.

[ghmerrill]

Wow. When I was in Switzerland back in the 1990s it was going from 3 ChF to 2 ChF to the dollar. I should have loaded up on francs back then

Yeah, I spent 2001 working for Novartis in Basel (well -- back and forth to Basel from the US). I bought a lot of Swiss stuff. The exchange rate was great. Take a look at the graph of that over the period since then (through several US Democratic and Republican administrations) and you'll see what comes close to averaging out to a 45-degree slope. Lots of issues involved in that, including a bunch of things the Swiss have been doing to move forward in different directions.

[harrisonreed]

I feel like I remember when the euro was 1 to 2 USD. Same with the British Pound.

[ghmerrill]

I remember when gold was $35/ounce and fixed at that value. Now, for $35, you might be able to look at some gold -- from a suitable distance.

[elmsandr]

Is it fair to assume US-built Shires can re-enter the US from Canada tariff-free?

I mean,I can’t think why they’d be tariffed, but I may be missing something.

There are still import duties if you are buying something from another country. Depending, it can be tax free; I don’t know the limits regarding musical instruments. Where the horn was made doesn’t matter. The fact that you bought it in Canada is what matters.

Cheers,
Andy

[BGuttman]

Note: tariffs are applied to purchase price and are not charged on items brought across the border if you don't plan to sell them.