Lesson 3 of 8 · 11 min

Percentage changes in exchange rates

The percentage change in A/B measures the base currency's appreciation or depreciation; the other currency's move is found by inverting the quote and is never the same size.

In short

  • Percentage change in an A/B rate = new rate / old rate − 1. It describes the base currency (B) against the price currency (A).
  • A rise in A/B means B appreciated; a fall means B depreciated.
  • To get the price currency's move, invert the quote first (B/A) and compute again.
  • The two percentages are never equal in size: if B gains x, A loses x/(1+x)x/(1+x), which is smaller.
  • Working backwards: old rate = new rate / (1 + base currency's % change).

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Percentage changes in exchange rates · Capital Flows and the FX Market