United States Dollar to Swedish Krona 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 USD vs SEK, you should pay attention to the recent market trends for both currencies.
United States Dollar (USD)
The US dollar has held its value this year despite a serious escalation in US-China trade tensions, mainly because the greenback is still considered a safer currency to own than most others. After grim employment data on June-7, the Dollar Index was up 0.5 percent on the year (it had fallen 2 percent from May’s 2-year high).
As in other parts of the world, interest rate cuts are now expected in the US following a drastic shift in economic forecasts. At least two Fed cuts are expected this year, with the first most likely to come in July.
Taking the blame for the economic downturn is US President Donald Trump, whose trade policies have set a ball rolling that could wipe $455bn from global output according to the IMF.
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.
Why can't I just get the USD/SEK 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 USD / SEK 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.
