Photos: The world on sale for Americans
Brazil’s struggling economy has hammered its currency, the real. One dollar now is worth 3.13 reais, up 40% from 2.24 a year ago, putting Brazil on sale for Americans. (Vanderlei Almeida / AFP/Getty Images)
Heading overseas? The dollar’s surge in value against most currencies means relative bargains for U.S. tourists abroad. Here’s how much more the dollar buys now versus a year ago in 20 global destinations.
Sweden has allowed its currency to depreciate with the slumping euro to remain competitive. One dollar now buys 8.55 kronor, up 30% from 6.56 a year ago and the most since 2009. (Tobias Ackeborn / Getty Images)
The European Central Bank has pushed long-term interest rates to zero or below, trying to jolt the Eurozone economy to life. One result has been a dive in the euro currency. One dollar now buys 0.91 euros, up 25% from 0.73 a year ago. (Remy de la Mauviniere / Associated Press)
Currencies in Eastern Europe have generally fallen with the euro. It takes 3.70 Polish zlotys to buy one dollar now, up 22% from 3.04 a year ago and the most since 2009. (Piotr Malecki / Getty Images)
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Slowing demand for Australia’s commodities, such as iron ore, has caused economic growth to dim and slammed the nation’s currency. One U.S. dollar now buys $1.31 Australian, up 21% from $1.08 a year ago. (Mark Kolbe / Getty Images)
Japan continues to target a weaker yen as a way to boost its exports. One dollar now is worth 119.54 yen, up 16% from 103.28 a year ago and the most since 2007. (Kazuhiro Nogi / AFP/Getty Images)
Indonesia has allowed its currency to devalue with much of the rest of the world, even as critics say the decline has gone too far. One dollar now is worth 12,971 rupiah, up 15% from 11,284 a year ago and near a 17-year high. (Suzanne Plunkett / Associated Press)
The dive in oil prices has weakened Canada’s economy and devalued the currency of America’s biggest trading partner. One U.S. dollar now buys $1.25 Canadian, up 14% from $1.10 a year ago. (George Rose / Getty Images)
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Mexico, already the No. 1 tourist destination for Americans, has become a bigger bargain as its currency has devalued. The dollar now is worth 14.8 pesos, up 14% from 13.01 a year ago. (Bruce Herman / Getty Images)
Armenia’s dram has slumped along with many of the world’s currencies over the last year. One dollar now buys 472 dram, up 14% from 415 a year ago. (Karen Minasyan / AFP/Getty Images)
Israel’s currency has tumbled since last summer’s Israeli-Palestinian hostilities. One dollar now buys 3.92 shekels, up 13% from 3.47 a year ago. (Spencer Platt / Getty Images)
The British pound has held up relatively well against the dollar, bolstered by Britain’s brisk economic growth last year. Still, one dollar now buys 0.67 pound, up 12% from 0.60 a year ago and the most since mid-2013. (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)
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South Korea’s currency has weakened modestly as the country’s central bank cut interest rates again recently. One dollar now is worth 1,084 won, up 3% from 1,054 a year ago. (Ahn Young-joon / Associated Press)
New excitement over India’s long-term economic growth has attracted hefty investment inflows to the country over the last year, supporting the currency’s value. One dollar now buys 61.93 rupees, up just 3% from 59.88 a year ago. (Scott Kraft / Los Angeles Times)
Thailand’s currency, the baht, is one of the few that has held virtually steady over the last year -- puzzling some economists and disappointing U.S. tourists. One dollar now buys 32.4 baht, unchanged from a year ago. (Pornchai Kittiwongsakul / AFP/Getty Images)