munKNEE.com Your Key to Making Money
For more than a year now, commodity prices have been under pressure from the strong U.S. dollar and
slowing global demand. This has made a huge dent in the balance sheet of many net exporters of resources, in turn weakening their currencies…What most people don’t realize, however, is just how closely some currencies track certain commodities…
Below are five world currencies that have been impacted by lower commodity prices.
1. Australian Dollar
Australia now accounts for around a third of global iron ore production, according to the country’s budgetary office. This means that its income is very sensitive to price changes. As demand from China, the world’s largest consumer of iron ore, has softened, so too has the Australian dollar.
2. Canadian Dollar
The sixth-largest oil producer in the world is Canada, about a quarter of whose exports is oil. The Conference Board of Canada, a not-for-profit economic research group, estimates that sales for the country’s energy sector will recede a sizable 22 percent this year. In Alberta, where revenue from oil sand exports had until recently helped the province become the fastest-growing in Canada, GDP is expected to contract 1 percent and, in September, the country’s economy shrank for the second straight quarter. As for the Canadian dollar, it’s fallen around 15 percent against the [U.S.] dollar for the one-year period.
3. Russian Ruble
Compared to Canada and Australia, Russia’s export mix isn’t nearly as diversified: About half of its exports in terms of value are a combination of oil and natural gas. (Russia sits atop the third-largest oil reserves in the world and the number one natural gas reserves.) It should come as no surprise, then, that its currency is highly influenced by Brent oil. Where oil went starting in July 2014, so went the ruble.
4. Colombian Peso
The same story can be found in Colombia, where oil exports are responsible for about 20 percent of government revenue. Officials estimate, however, that oil sales will total $1.1 billion in 2016, compared to $6.7 billion in 2014. With prices lingering just above $41 per barrel, the Colombian peso has retreated 30 percent against the U.S. dollar for the one-year period.
5. Peruvian Sol
Besides gold, copper is Peru’s most important mineral export by value. With around 13 percent of the world’s copper reserves, it’s the third-largest producer after Chile and China. As such, the Peruvian sol has declined in tandem with the red metal.
Want more such articles? Just “follow the munKNEE” on Twitter; visit our Facebook page and “like” an article; or subscribe to our free newsletter – see sample here.
[The original article was written by Frank Holmes (usfunds.com) and is presented by the editorial team of munKNEE.com (Your Key to Making Money!) and the FREE Market Intelligence Report newsletter (see sample here) in a slightly edited ([ ]) and abridged (…) format to provide a fast and easy read.]