Exchange Rate Now!

With South Africa hosting the 2010 World Cup, it is no doubt in the travel plan of most tourist in football obsessed United Kingdom (which includes England, Scotland and Ireland). In fact, South Africa is already experiencing a boom in tourists from the United Kingdom now, one year before the World Cup even starts!

Besides the World Cup, there is another factor which may account for the rise in tourist numbers – The favourable exchange rate. The South African Rand is now trading at about 12 Rand to 1 Sterling Pound. This exchange rate is currently more favourable towards the Sterling Pounds compared to other major currencies like the Euro and US Dollar.

Some worries that the South African Rand will move to a downtrend against major global currencies (which include the Sterling Pound) once the World Cup concludes in 2010 (more…)

The South African Rand (ZAR) is one of the most used currency in South Africa continent. Zimbabwe and Swaziland also uses the South African Rand unofficially due to the instability of their national currencies.

As recent as 1982, the South African Rand (ZAR) was worth more than the US Dollar (USD). Due to the political instability in South Africa, the Rand underwent a depreciation against the US Dollar. In the global financial/ economic crisis that occurred in late 2008, the Rand traded as low as 11 Rand against 1 US Dollar.

 The Rand has since rebounded and currently trades at 7.76 Rand against the US Dollar. The corresponds to several factors. For one, there is the sharp rebound in global commodity prices (gold, diamond, platinum and other metals for which South Africa is a major exporter).

Secondly, interest in the South African Rand will continue to pick up, in tandem with the hosting of the football World Cup in South Africa in 2010. There are already (more…)