Euro and US Dollar Exchange Rate

The Euro has come a long way since it entered into circulation on January 1st, 2002. It is now the official currency of 16 of the 27 member states of the European Union (EU) – with the notable exception of United Kingdom, and is consequently used daily by some 327 million Europeans.

Most experts in the Financial world thinks that the US Dollar will continue to depreciate against the Euro over time, with the Euro taking over US Dollar as the world’s undisputed reserve currency eventually. However, during the financial crisis that started in late 2008, many banks and companies became bankrupt and investors started to find solace in putting their money into stable foreign exchange, Gold and commodities. This became a boon to US dollar (and the Japanese Yen) and there was a sharp appreciation in the US Dollar against most of the world’s major currency – including the Euro.

China, Russia and India (major global investors in the US Dollar) have long indicated that they want to see changes in the international monetary system in the wake of the financial crisis. They are however, careful to not push their desire for change too far in case the dollar slumps. This will lead to the value of their HUGH dollar-denominated investments plummet, something that will not bode too well with their tax payers.

The main difference between the Euro and the US Dollar is time. US dollar has been around in circulation much longer, therefore it is deemed as more reliable. Fundamentally, the Euro is almost as stable as the US dollar now with the backing of the European Union, a coalition of European nations. The perception to the ability of Euro to withstand any financial/global/economic crisis will gradually improve over time. This is especially true as more countries and sovereign wealth funds (SWF) starts to buy into Euro as reserve.