reader Posted December 26, 2023 Posted December 26, 2023 While we applaud declining interest rates we must also accept their economic realities. There's a correlation between the interest rate of our home currency with its corresponding value to the baht, as can be observed in the charts below. And if the trend continues--as most economists believe it will--the baht will continue to strength barring an unforeseen crisis in confidence. The exchange rate also influences the price we pay for international airline tickets and the hotel rates in Thailand, as can be seen in the daily (if not hourly) fluctuations on any of the booking sites. Since carriers collude on essentially fixing airfares, there's not much the consumer can do but shop for the occasional seasonal dips. When it comes to hotel rates, however, there's much greater competition. It's not all bad news. The cost of goods and services in our home countries should likewise be retreating although that is often hard to discern at the checkout counter. floridarob and vinapu 2 Quote