Pacific Exchange Rates Report for March 25th – 29th

By: Khadija Farooqi, The Quinnipiac University Economics Research Team  

Pacific Currencies Index 

Source: Yahoo Finance and own calculations. Exchange rates are inverted to be USD per local currency (i.e., an increase indicates a stronger domestic currency) and then indexed to be 100 at the start of the period.  

During the week of March 25th–29th, three of the currencies behaved similarly while one acted as the outlier. The strongest currency of the week was the Japanese yen (maroon), maintaining a relatively stable trajectory with minor fluctuations ranging from 0.1% to 0.3%. In contrast, the other currencies mirrored each other's movements. Initially declining from the week prior, they all then underwent individual fluctuations. The most volatile of the three was the South Korean won (red), rising by 0.5%, falling by 0.8%, and stabilizing before a sudden surge towards the end of the week. Meanwhile, the Australian dollar (green) and New Zealand dollar (blue) both followed a pattern of ascent, stability, and decline throughout the week.

Pacific Historical Trends 

Source: Yahoo Finance and own calculations. Exchange rates are inverted to be USD per local currency (i.e., an increase indicates a stronger domestic currency. The center line is a rolling three-month average. The upper and lower boundaries are the average plus and average minus one standard deviation, respectively, for the same three-month period. 

Throughout the week of March 25th to 29th, most currencies continued their weeks-long descent. The South Korean won (KRW) and New Zealand Dollar (NZD) both plunged further below their lower thresholds, reaching new lows not seen for weeks. While the Australian dollar (AUD) displayed some fluctuations, it ultimately followed the downward trend by the week's end. However, the Japanese yen (JPY) stood out as the most successful, maintaining stability after a significant decline, hinting at a potentially strong recovery in the coming weeks.