Key Concepts: Past and Current Exchange-Rate Arrangements, Fixed or Floating Exchange Rates, The Choice of an Exchange-Rate System

OANDA.com

Review the real-time foreign exchange "Currency Trends" information on major currency-pairs (U.S. dollar & Euro, U.S. dollar & Japanese yen, and Euro & Swiss franc). Scroll down the page and survey the current "FXNews."

• Assess how much the U.S. dollar has appreciated or depreciated against the Euro and Japanese yen over the past year.
• What economic and political news may currently be affecting the value of the U.S. dollar?
• Review the service offered by e-gold.com. Explain why investors may be interested in holding "e-gold" in their investment portfolios.