Holdfast said:Rule 01
Never listen to a mining CEO.
Rule 02
Believe all CEO's and dealers who sell physical metal for fiat.![]()
Rule 03
Historical charts (Trends) are your friend.![]()
Holdfast said:Rule 01
Never listen to a mining CEO.
Rule 02
Believe all CEO's and dealers who sell physical metal for fiat.![]()
Rule 03
Historical charts (Trends) are your friend.![]()
How does one go about buying foreign currencies? (excluding at travel agencies, for instance)phrenzy said:...I wouldn't be looking at it just yet but if you're in the states you should have a think about buying some foreign currency when it looks like things have bottomed. A reasonable amount of the future silver and gold price rise in the future for you will be in USD weakness, not all but enough. If the Euro hits parity or the aussie hits 0.70 then it might be worth looking into for you. That's when I'm calling in my USD (unless I use it for metals before then).
HattieTheWitch said:How does one go about buying foreign currencies? (excluding at travel agencies, for instance)phrenzy said:...I wouldn't be looking at it just yet but if you're in the states you should have a think about buying some foreign currency when it looks like things have bottomed. A reasonable amount of the future silver and gold price rise in the future for you will be in USD weakness, not all but enough. If the Euro hits parity or the aussie hits 0.70 then it might be worth looking into for you. That's when I'm calling in my USD (unless I use it for metals before then).
Thank you.
Goodness! THANKS KINDLY to you and silverprepper999.phrenzy said:HattieTheWitch said:How does one go about buying foreign currencies? (excluding at travel agencies, for instance)phrenzy said:...I wouldn't be looking at it just yet but if you're in the states you should have a think about buying some foreign currency when it looks like things have bottomed. A reasonable amount of the future silver and gold price rise in the future for you will be in USD weakness, not all but enough. If the Euro hits parity or the aussie hits 0.70 then it might be worth looking into for you. That's when I'm calling in my USD (unless I use it for metals before then).
Thank you.
Silver prepper has the right idea. I opened up a foreign currency account at my local bank branch, took about 10 minutes. You have to tell them what currencies you intend to use (probably dollars now to turn into euro when they break below parity or just USD for turning back into AUD). The big thing is not exchanging your money through the bank, their rates are beyond a joke given that they will give you brilliant wholesale rates if your using them to trade foreign shares. You want to use an exchange agent like ozforex, you just tell them where you want the converted money to go (your new foreign currency account) and then bank transfer them the australian dollars to fund it. Their rates are pretty good. There are a few small fees involved but for anything over about $2k it's probably worth it.
Your other option is to try and buy cash at spot from someone who's come back from the states and doesn't want to lose 5% at the forex window to get their aussie dollars back. This is what I ended up doing and never used my foreign currency account but then your stuck with whatever is available.
Frankly if I had gone ahead with my original plan to exchange a big whack I'd have been way ahead. I wasn't doing it just to make money on the dollars but so that if gold hit $1k USD I would have the hard USD to take advantage. In the end I only ended up with $1200 usd for around $1400 which is ok and will buy me an ounce but I wish I went through with it. To be fair though I did use the money to pick up some $620 perth mint AG kilos and other stuff when we bottomed so I don't feel too bad.
You could look at CFD's as a hedge which amounts to the same thing with fewer fees but you have to have a hedging strategy and stick to it. I did it for a while but couldn't help playing at trading and made a little money but lost more. If I had put $350 down at 1:100 and short aud/usd back then I'd be laughing and because I was short I would have earned interest. I didn't lose much at all but I should have made money.
Anyway, the first two paragraphs are what you need.
HattieTheWitch said:Goodness! THANKS KINDLY to you and silverprepper999.phrenzy said:HattieTheWitch said:How does one go about buying foreign currencies? (excluding at travel agencies, for instance)
Thank you.
Silver prepper has the right idea. I opened up a foreign currency account at my local bank branch, took about 10 minutes. You have to tell them what currencies you intend to use (probably dollars now to turn into euro when they break below parity or just USD for turning back into AUD). The big thing is not exchanging your money through the bank, their rates are beyond a joke given that they will give you brilliant wholesale rates if your using them to trade foreign shares. You want to use an exchange agent like ozforex, you just tell them where you want the converted money to go (your new foreign currency account) and then bank transfer them the australian dollars to fund it. Their rates are pretty good. There are a few small fees involved but for anything over about $2k it's probably worth it.
Your other option is to try and buy cash at spot from someone who's come back from the states and doesn't want to lose 5% at the forex window to get their aussie dollars back. This is what I ended up doing and never used my foreign currency account but then your stuck with whatever is available.
Frankly if I had gone ahead with my original plan to exchange a big whack I'd have been way ahead. I wasn't doing it just to make money on the dollars but so that if gold hit $1k USD I would have the hard USD to take advantage. In the end I only ended up with $1200 usd for around $1400 which is ok and will buy me an ounce but I wish I went through with it. To be fair though I did use the money to pick up some $620 perth mint AG kilos and other stuff when we bottomed so I don't feel too bad.
You could look at CFD's as a hedge which amounts to the same thing with fewer fees but you have to have a hedging strategy and stick to it. I did it for a while but couldn't help playing at trading and made a little money but lost more. If I had put $350 down at 1:100 and short aud/usd back then I'd be laughing and because I was short I would have earned interest. I didn't lose much at all but I should have made money.
Anyway, the first two paragraphs are what you need.
First, I live in the US, and it seems like part of your advice is for someone who lives "down under", so I'm not quite sure what to do with parts of your reply. Would you mind rewriting it with that in mind, and please forgive my denseness?
A few more questions if I may...
"The big thing is not exchanging your money through the bank, their rates are beyond a joke given that they will give you brilliant wholesale rates if your using them to trade foreign shares. " - are you saying that I should consider trading through my bank for a favorable conversion rate?
What is a CFD?
I'm not clear on what you did with buying gold. Did you convert currencies, then buy it in a foreign currency? I suppose your intent was to gain on the conversion rate AND on a hoped-for rise in the price of gold?
What types of currencies do you suggest I keep and eye on, or consider converting to? The reason I am even considering doing something different than investing in US equities and precious metals is that I figure I should buy things in other parts of the world when things are up "here", and down "there" (currency and/or stocks).
Whatever other information or opinion you want to toss my way I gratefully appreciate.
Thanks so much again.
FYI - the OzForex site looks pretty cool.
For any Americans who may be reading this, isn't there some law about having funds overseas? (like a $$ limit or something?)
HattieTheWitch said:How does one go about buying foreign currencies? (excluding at travel agencies, for instance)phrenzy said:...I wouldn't be looking at it just yet but if you're in the states you should have a think about buying some foreign currency when it looks like things have bottomed. A reasonable amount of the future silver and gold price rise in the future for you will be in USD weakness, not all but enough. If the Euro hits parity or the aussie hits 0.70 then it might be worth looking into for you. That's when I'm calling in my USD (unless I use it for metals before then).
Thank you.
SilverTabbyCat said:HattieTheWitch said:How does one go about buying foreign currencies? (excluding at travel agencies, for instance)phrenzy said:...I wouldn't be looking at it just yet but if you're in the states you should have a think about buying some foreign currency when it looks like things have bottomed. A reasonable amount of the future silver and gold price rise in the future for you will be in USD weakness, not all but enough. If the Euro hits parity or the aussie hits 0.70 then it might be worth looking into for you. That's when I'm calling in my USD (unless I use it for metals before then).
Thank you.
BOA had the best rates when I had to get yen for my Japan trip.
The AUD may get a temporary reprieve if the FED delay increasing rates till later in the year. But the long term trajectory is still down for us.Holdfast said:Not yet CJ but if the USD gains strength as predicted, it may go to that level.
Having said that, the falling AUD won't make metal cheaper for us here.![]()
Holdfast said:Not yet CJ but if the USD gains strength as predicted, it may go to that level.
Having said that, the falling AUD won't make metal cheaper for us here.![]()
Court Jester said:Holdfast said:Not yet CJ but if the USD gains strength as predicted, it may go to that level.
Having said that, the falling AUD won't make metal cheaper for us here.![]()
AUD will go down not up, we will get another rate cut soon.
we will be seeing metals going <------------ SIDEWAYS ---------> for us for the foreseeable future
I defiantly dont predict $36 by easter
Silver bullitt said:Well CJ, this <------------------------------------------------- SIDEWAYS--------------------------------------------------> thing of yours used to really piss me off but there comes a time when credit is due.
In the years I have been into gold and silver this has turned out to be the most accurate call I have seen. In fact the only call I have seen that has stayed consistently accurate for this length of time.
I am definitely at the stage where I wish I had taken this call of yours seriously way back when.
I may not have changed my strategy much but my hopes and expectations would have been far more realistic and I would have felt far less disappointed today. :|
Kudos.
Gatito Bandito said:Silver bullitt said:Well CJ, this <------------------------------------------------- SIDEWAYS--------------------------------------------------> thing of yours used to really piss me off but there comes a time when credit is due.
In the years I have been into gold and silver this has turned out to be the most accurate call I have seen. In fact the only call I have seen that has stayed consistently accurate for this length of time.
I am definitely at the stage where I wish I had taken this call of yours seriously way back when.
I may not have changed my strategy much but my hopes and expectations would have been far more realistic and I would have felt far less disappointed today. :|
Kudos.
One truly needs to define "<------------ SIDEWAYS --------->"..
Using USD terms, one could have purchased at $14.50 last November
It subsequently hit around $18.50 in January..
That's a 27.5% return in just 2-3 months.
I'd say if that had been an ROI in, say, the stock/share market, most people wouldn't be calling that "sideways"..
But, whatever floats one's boat..
mmissinglink said:Maybe the difference is in the context of different time frames.