Swedish Krona to Norwegian Krone exchange rates aren't all the same.
The total cost you are charged by your bank or foreign exchange provider consists of a margin from the interbank mid-rate plus fees.
These margins and fees vary significantly for International Money Transfers and Travel Money transactions as shown below.
When determining the best time to make a foreign exchange transaction, in this case the SEK vs NOK, you should pay attention to the recent market trends for both currencies.
Swedish Krona (SEK)
It’s been a grim 16 months for the Swedish krona. Now at a record low of 9.65 per USD, the krona has lost 18 percent of its value since February 2018. Within the same period, against the euro, the krona has slipped to 10-year lows near 10.8 per EUR — down 9 percent for the period.
2019 weakness has confounded forecasters, who predicted at the start of the year a much stronger currency based on expectations for higher interest rates in Sweden. With economic conditions changing for the worse, markets have now completely priced out any rate hike in 2019, spurring krona weakness.
Danske Bank said in May that “EUR/SEK is somewhat overbought … however, we believe there is a clear risk that Swedish growth and inflation will undershoot the Riksbank’s forecasts … and that monetary policy will have to remain accommodative for the foreseeable future.” As a result, Danske raised its 12-month EUR/SEK forecast to 11.00 to reflect its more bearish krona outlook.
Norwegian Krone (NOK)
Sentiment on the krone improved drastically in June after Norway’s central bank raised interest rates and signalled further hikes this year, thereby bucking the trend for lower-rates globally.
Prior to this, against the US dollar, the krone had tested the massive 8.8 per USD level, a break of which would have had the krone at its weakest level in 3 years. The greenback was back buying 8.5 krone at the time of this report.
Late last year, against the euro, the krone struck a 10-year low of 10.057 per EUR; it has since recovered to levels near 9.65.
Danske Bank said following June’s meeting of the Norges Bank that it favoured more krone strength in the third quarter.
Why can't I just get the SEK/NOK market rate I see online or in the media?
The mid-rate is the rate you will see quoted online or the news. It is actually just the half-way point (hence mid-rate) between
the last rate at which the SEK / NOK was traded (bought or sold) in the international markets.
All foreign exchange providers charge a fee for providing their service and this fee is usually contained within the exchange rate margin (or difference to the mid-rate).
Some providers such as Transferwise will quote you the mid-rate (or close to) and charge a separate percentage fee.
Getting a good market rate is mainly about timing however the transaction margin
you end up being charged can be considerably reduced by around a few percent (of total amount being exchanged) for
travel money and possibly over 5% to 6% when sending money.
The exact potential savings depends on the currencies being exchanged and the amount you are transferring and if you are willing to shop around.
