A wide range of factors interact to determine the exchange rate level: the government, market forces of supply and demand for a particular country's currency, interest rates, inflation, a country's balance of trade and/or payments, and consumers' expectations about what will happen in the future. In addition, many countries, including the United States, Japan, and Canada, set "flexible" or "floating" exchange rates that change on a daily, or even hourly, basis, depending on currency demand and supply. The downward sloping curve indicates a weakening of the U.S. dollar.
What you can do...
* Explore the potential of hedging commodities and currencies on the futures and option markets when opportunity exists.
* Pre-sell commodities to foreign countries and pre-buy foreign inputs if you believe the exchange rate is likely to weaken (decline in value).
* If possible, delay both pre-selling commodities abroad and purchasing foreign capital items if there is the likelihood that the exchange rate will strengthen (gain in value).
* In some cases, it may make sense to draw up contracts in U.S. dollars rather than in the currency of trading partners. This would be the case where you are purchasing inputs from a foreign supplier and believe that U.S. currency is expected to weaken or that foreign currency is expected to strengthen.
* Pre-buy foreign currencies if you believe that the exchange rate is likely to weaken.