The COVID-19 pandemic is over, and you decide to celebrate by going on a vacation to France.

 

The following quotes are provided by a Foreign Exchange (FX) dealer at the airport.

 

 

                             BUY         SELL

EURO (EUR)       0.6134          0.6051

 

a) If you are exchanging 30 000 AUD (Australian Dollars), how many EUR will you receive? 

  Show workings and a concluding statement in your response.

b) Upon returning from the Europe, you have 2 500 EUR which you wish to convert back to AUD. How much will you receive?

  Show workings and a concluding statement in your response.

c) One year later, you are considering to move to Paris to pursue a career in fashion industry. You check the exchange rates quoted by the same FX dealer at the airport. To your surprise, the rates have dramatically changed.

The following quotes are provided by a Foreign Exchange (FX) dealer at the airport.

 

 

               BUY               SELL

EUR       0.7321            0.7289

What conclusions about the strength of the Australian dollar can be drawn from comparing the current exchange rates with one year ago? Will you receive more or less EUR if you exchanged the same amount of money as you did one year ago? 

d) You are considering starting your own business, which will require importing goods from the Europe. You are quite concerned about the fluctuating exchange rate and the effect it will have on your cash flow. Identify and discuss the features of a foreign exchange contract that you can enter into which will address your concerns about the exchange rate.

e) Classify the following transactions as either: 

               (i) Primary or secondary market

               (ii) Money or capital market

               (iii) Wholesale or retail market, and

               (iv) Direct or indirect market.

 

Transaction 1: You open a new savings account with ING Bank and deposits $2 000.

Transaction 2: An investor purchases $200 000 worth of ZIP Pay (Z1P) shares on the ASX through the stockbroker.