The US dollar has been the currency ruler every other denomination is valued against, but the greenback no longer reigns supreme.
Taking the buying power test of multiplying or dividing currencies against one dollar to see which comes out best, the dinar of oil-rich Kuwait is the surprising winner – with a currency exchange value of $3.58 to a dinar.
In fact, the mighty dollar misses out on breaking the top 10 – and stands at 11th, equal with such forex heavyweights as the Bermuda dollar, the Bahamas dollar, Cuba’s peso and Panama’s balboa.
These tiny currencies may be punching above their weight as they are tied to the dollar rate, but the US dollar is not all that it used be.
The big hitters that lead the US are the British Pound – fifth at $1.57 – and the euro – eighth at $1.27.
Just shading the US are the Swiss franc – ninth at $1.06 – and the Australian dollar – 10th at $1.02.
So which mystery currencies have coined the other top places in exchange rates against the dollar, according to data from Thomson Reuters?
Second place goes to the Bahrain dinar, weighing in $2.65, the Omani rial at $2.60 and the Latvian lat at $1.82.
Between Britain and the euro, comes the Jordan dinar at $1.41 and the Azerbaijani manat at $1.27.
The country with the worst dollar exchange rate is Vietnam – with 20800 dong to one US dollar, the equivalent of one dong to 0.0000477498 cents
The figures are a bit of fun and don’t mean a lot to economists or forex traders, but to expats and travellers and businesses, exchange rates make a big difference to spending power.
