Name ______________________________ Date ____________________ Period _____
Chapter 17 – Section 3
Foreign Exchange Rates: Is the U.S. Dollar “Strong” or “Weak”?

How much will something cost you if you bought it in a foreign nation? The currency
exchange rate changes on a daily basis depending on changes in the global economy and
news events. A “strong” dollar means the value of the dollar has increased or
appreciated. A “weak” dollar means the value of the dollar has decreased or
depreciated.

You need to complete the following activity. Choose any five items you want; find the
cost of each product in U.S. Dollars; and then use the following website to help you find
the current exchange rate http://www.x-rates.com/ for any three nations. Please print
that page from the website, circle the THREE nations’ exchange rates you used, and
attach this to the assignment. Use the following formula to assist you in figuring the
cost: [See the example to assist you].
Cost of the Product in US Dollars x Foreign nation’s exchange rate = Cost of Product in Foreign nation

Use the following website to check your conversions: www.xe.com/ucc/
Name of Product
Cost in US
Dollars ($)
EXAMPLE:
New Balance Sneakers M991
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
$ 118.95
Cost in THREE Foreign Nations
Nation 1:
Nation 2:
Nation 3:
Great Britain
(Pounds)
European
Union
(Euro)
Japan
(Yen)
1 USD = 0.563245
GBP
1 USD = 0.824232
EUR
66.99 GBP
98.04 EUR
13,582.95 JPY
Nation 1:
Nation 2:
Nation 3:
1 USD = 114.190
JPY
Next, in each given situation, find out how much the following items cost in U.S. Dollars. Use
the exchange rate chart below to help. Please show and label all of your work. Use the
formula below to assist you.
Formula
Cost of item in foreign currency
= Cost in U.S. Dollars
# of foreign currency per U.S. Dollar
Dollar Exchange
Argent Peso
Australia Dollar
Brazil Real
Britain Pound
Canada Dollar
Chile Peso
China Yuan
Czech Rep Koruna
Egypt Pound
Euro
3.0350
1.3271
2.2750
0.5631
1.1612
524.75
8.0678
23.74
5.7275
0.8245
Hong Kong Dollar
Hungary Forint
India Rupee
Indonesia Rupiah
Israel Shekel
Japan Yen
Mexico Peso
N. Zealand Dollar
Norway Krone
Philippines Peso
7.7513
206.35
44.090
9340.00
4.6260
114.19
10.5650
1.4331
6.6415
52.38
Poland Zloty
3.14
Russia Ruble
28.4944
Singapore Dollar 1.6270
So. Africa Rand 5.9951
So. Korean Won 987.50
Sweden Krona
7.6912
Swiss Franc
1.2769
Taiwan Dollar
31.99
Thailand Baht
39.49
Venzuel Bolivar 2147.00
1. You and your family are on vacation in Mexico City, Mexico. A one night stay at the
city’s finest hotel costs 1,825 Pesos. How much is that in U.S. Dollars? _____________
2. You and your friends are in Switzerland to ski the famous Swiss Alps. Tickets to ski,
including lift fees are 400 Francs. How much is that in U.S. Dollars? ______________
3. You are on a business trip in Hong Kong. While there, you have dinner at the finest
restaurant. You get the bill for your dinner and three business associates. The total comes
to 1467 Dollars. How much is that in U.S. Dollars? ______________. Plus you will leave a
tip 20% of the bill. How much is the tip in U.S. Dollars? _______________
4. Next, you and your business associates fly to Tokyo, Japan where a Honda Civic rental
costs 21,285 Yen per day. You need it for four days. What is the total for the rental over
four days in U.S. Dollars? ________________
5. Now, you continue your Asian business trip to Jakarta, Indonesia where a two-night
hotel stay costs 1,285,942 Rupiahs per person. How much is it for a two-night hotel stay
in U.S. Dollars? _________________
6. Your business trip now takes you to Moscow, Russia where you plan to take home some
of Russia’s finest caviar and vodka. The caviar cost 2,750 Rubles and a bottle of top of
the line vodka costs 15,846 Rubles. How much is it for the caviar in U.S. Dollars
______________ and for the bottle of vodka in U.S. Dollars __________?
7. Now you are off on a three-day trip to Europe with stops in Rome, Italy where dinner
cost 125 Euros; Berlin, Germany where a rental car costs you 112 Euros per day; and
Paris, France where a hotel room for one night costs 248 Euros per person. What is the
cost of the Italian dinner ____________, German car rental ______________, and French
hotel room ________________ in U.S. Dollars?
8. After returning home, your company needs you and your team to fly to the Middle East
and India to negotiate a new contract. Your first stop is in Tel Aviv, Israel where dinner
costs 565 Shekels. Then to Cairo, Egypt where a three-day hotel stay costs 933 Pounds
per person per night. Next, you’re off to New Delhi, India where dinner costs 8,148
Rupee, a three-day car rental cost 21,849 Rupee, and a two-day hotel stay costs 13,792
Rupee per person. What is the cost of the Israeli dinner ______________, the three-day
total Egyptian hotel stay for you only ___________, as well as the Indian dinner
____________, three-day Indian car rental __________, and the two-day Indian hotel
stay for you only ______________ all in U.S. Dollars?
9. The CEO of your company has your team going to Warsaw, Poland where a two-day
hotel stay costs 764 Zloty per person; then off to Oslo, Norway where a taxi ride from the
airport to your hotel costs 536 Krones; and then to the Czech Republic where a taxi ride
from the airport to the hotel cost 1,915 Korunas. What is the cost of the hotel stay in
Poland ____________, Norwegian taxi ride _______________, and the taxi ride in the
Czech Republic _____________ all in U.S. Dollars?
10. Finally, you take your family on vacation to Toronto, Ontario, Canada where you go to
Canada’s Wonderland Amusement park. Ticket prices for your family of four total 210
Dollars. The next day, you and your family go to the Skydome to watch the Toronto
Blue Jays blast the Boston Red Sox, dropping the Sox into last place in the division with
the worst record in baseball, 25 games below .500. Field level seating costs a total of 410
Dollars for the entire family. Hot dogs and sodas for the kids cost another 40 Dollars
total. Then on the final day of the vacation you take the family to the Ontario Science
Centre where admission is 24.85 Dollars per adult and 17.85 per child. What is the total
for admission into Canada’s Wonderland for the family ____________, total for the
baseball tickets for the family _____________, total cost of the hot dogs and sodas at the
baseball game ________________, and the total cost of admission for you and your
spouse _______________ and your two kids into the Ontario Science Centre
___________ all in U.S. Dollars?
11. What can you conclude about currency exchange rates? In other words, where is the
U.S. Dollar “stronger” and where is it “weaker”? [Name three (3) nation where the U.S.
Dollar is “stronger” and three nations where the U.S. Dollar is “weaker”].
12. How do you know the U.S. Dollar is “stronger” or “weaker”? What makes the U.S.
Dollar “stronger” or “weaker”? [Use Chapter 17 in your textbook to help].