tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4528146969570948529.post8221162171358243878..comments2024-03-21T22:51:03.977-04:00Comments on Models & Agents: From food fights to food warsChevellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10769905202655777736noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4528146969570948529.post-34492410316925764992008-02-28T13:28:00.000-05:002008-02-28T13:28:00.000-05:00Point very well taken. I admit it’s tough living i...Point very well taken. I admit it’s tough living in this country without being afflicted by an overpowering sense that it's the centre of the world! But just to prove (to myself above all) that I am not too US-centric, here are some numbers:<BR/><BR/>True, if you’re Brazilian, you have seen your currency appreciate by around 60 percent vs. the dollar since early 2005. If you’re Philippino, Czech, Pole or Slovak, you have seen appreciations of the order of 30-40 percent. In more advanced economies, the appreciation has been less staggering though still impressive: Around 20 percent for Canadians and Australians, and 13 percent for Euro-landers. <BR/><BR/>How do these compare with commodity price increases (in dollars) during the same period? Let’s see… 74% for oil; 160% for corn; 165% for soybean; 130% for barley; 210% for wheat! Ouch!Chevellehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10769905202655777736noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4528146969570948529.post-75801680654552408182008-02-27T20:43:00.000-05:002008-02-27T20:43:00.000-05:00Mots of good points, but one criticism, which is a...Mots of good points, but one criticism, which is amplified by the citation of the euro reaching new highs. As commodities are priced in dollars, citing a rise in percentage of something priced in dollars tells only half the story, since the dollar is rapidly depreciating worldwide. I know you are based in the US, but for people based in Europe or elsewhere, if their currency is going up 20% a year versus the dollar, and a commodity priced in dollars gors up 15%, that commodity ios now cheaper. You see this with oil for instance - whereas prices per gallon are soaring in the US, they are remaining relatively stable in euros, because the same euros now buy more dollars... perhaps this is something for another column, but thought I would bring it up!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com