Table 7. Annual percent change in exchange rates

Table 7.  Annual percent change in exchange rates (U.S. dollars per
national currency unit), 29 countries or areas and selected economic
groups, selected years, 1975-97
________________________________________________________________________________________________

Country or area           1975-97 1975-80 1980-85 1985-90 1990-97   1994    1995    1996    1997
________________________________________________________________________________________________

United States ..........       -       -       -       -       -       -       -       -       -

Canada .................    -1.4    -2.7    -3.1     3.2    -2.4    -5.6     -.5      .7    -1.5
Mexico .................   -25.4   -11.5   -38.3   -38.0   -13.7    -7.7   -47.4   -15.6    -4.0

Australia ..............    -2.5    -2.7    -9.3     2.2     -.7     7.6     1.3     5.7    -5.1
Hong Kong SAR 1 ........    -2.0     -.1    -8.6      .0      .1      .1     -.1      .0     -.1
Israel .................   -32.3   -34.1   -66.3   -10.2    -7.4    -6.0      .0    -8.4    -4.7
Japan ..................     4.2     5.6    -1.1    10.5     2.6     8.7     8.8   -13.6   -10.1

Korea ..................    -3.0    -4.4    -6.9     4.2    -4.1     -.1     4.2    -4.1   -15.4
New Zealand ............    -2.7    -4.3   -12.6     3.7     1.5     9.6    10.6     4.8    -3.6
Singapore ..............     2.1     2.1     -.5     3.9     2.9     5.8     7.8      .5    -5.1
Sri Lanka ..............  2 -9.3   -15.7    -9.5    -7.5       -    -2.2    -3.6    -7.3       -
Taiwan .................     1.3     1.1    -2.0     8.2     -.9     -.2     -.1    -3.5    -4.6

Austria ................     1.6     6.1    -9.0    12.8    -1.1     2.0    13.2    -4.8   -13.3
Belgium ................      .1     4.7   -13.2    12.2    -1.0     3.4    13.4    -4.8   -13.5
Denmark ................     -.6      .4   -11.9    11.4     -.9     2.0    13.5    -3.4   -12.2
Finland ................    -1.6     -.3    -9.7    10.1    -4.3     9.4    19.6    -4.8   -11.6

France .................    -1.4      .3   -14.0    10.5    -1.0     2.2    11.2    -2.5   -12.4
Germany 3 ..............     1.6     6.2    -9.2    12.7    -1.0     2.0    13.3    -4.9   -13.3
Greece .................  2 -9.1    -5.4   -21.0    -2.7       -    -5.5     4.7    -3.7       -
Ireland ................    -1.7    -1.5   -12.3     9.2    -1.3     2.2     7.1     -.2    -5.2

Italy ..................    -4.3    -5.3   -14.8     9.8    -4.9    -2.4    -1.1     5.6    -9.4
Luxembourg .............  2   .8     4.7   -13.2    12.2       -     3.4    13.5    -4.8       -
Netherlands ............     1.2     4.9    -9.8    12.7    -1.0     2.1    13.4    -4.9   -13.7
Norway .................    -1.4     1.1   -10.5     6.6    -1.8      .6    11.3    -1.9    -8.8

Portugal ...............    -8.4   -12.7   -21.9     3.8    -2.9    -2.9    10.7    -2.9   -12.0
Spain ..................    -4.2    -4.3   -15.9    10.8    -5.0    -4.8     7.5    -1.7   -13.5
Sweden .................    -2.7     -.4   -13.2     7.8    -3.6     1.0     8.1     6.5   -12.3
Switzerland ............     2.7     9.0    -7.4    12.0     -.6     8.1    15.7    -4.4   -14.8
United Kingdom .........    -1.4      .9   -11.0     6.6    -1.2     2.0     3.0    -1.1     4.9

Trade-weighted measures 4

All 28 foreign economies .. -2.5     -.5    -9.4     2.9    -2.1      .4      .3    -4.9    -6.5
    less Mexico, Israel ...   .2     1.0    -5.8     7.3     -.8     1.3     5.3    -3.8    -6.8
OECD 5 .................... -2.6     -.3    -9.6     2.8    -2.3      .4      .0    -5.3    -6.9
  less Mexico, Korea 6 ....   .3     1.3    -6.1     7.9     -.8     1.4     5.8    -4.0    -6.8

Europe ....................  -.7     2.0   -11.7    10.3    -1.7     1.7     9.2    -2.1    -9.1
European Union ............  -.8     1.7   -11.9    10.3    -1.8     1.4     8.9    -2.0    -8.8
Asian NIEs ................  -.3     -.5    -4.2     4.9     -.9     1.1     2.6    -2.3    -7.0
________________________________________________________________________________________________

Rates of change based on compound rate method.

1  Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China.
2  1975-96.
3  Former West Germany.
4  Trade-weighted percent changes computed as the trade-weighted
   average of the rates of change for the individual countries or areas.
   For description of trade-weighted measures and economic groups,
   see the Technical Notes preceding these tables.
5  Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
6  Mexico joined the OECD in 1994, and Korea joined in 1996.

Source:  U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, September 1998.

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