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Soros: Dollar's Strength a Measure of System's "Sickness"; Euro Will Remain Viable

Posted Apr 07, 2009 09:28am EDT by Aaron Task in Investing, Newsmakers, Recession

George Soros is a man of many skills. The billionaire has been very successful as an author, philanthropist, and as a force in liberal politics.

Arguably Soros' greatest skill – and undoubtedly where he made his fortune – is as a speculator, specifically in the realm of currencies. Soros is best known as "the man who broke the Bank of England" for his infamous short bet against the pound in 1992. Less known but nearly as successful was his 1985 "Plaza Accord" bet that the dollar would fall against the yen.

So when George Soros talks currencies, people listen.

In the accompanying clip, part 2 of a series from my extended interview, Soros provides insights on three of today’s big currency questions:

  • Will the dollar maintain its status as the world’s reserve currency?
  • Is there are risk of a breakup of the Eurozone?
  • Is he still short the British sterling today?

Earlier:

108 Comments

Reedersong
Reedersong - Tuesday April 07, 2009 09:35AM EDT

Yep, I was wrong about the "it'll probably go up today" prediction..

PhilippeM
PhilippeM - Tuesday April 07, 2009 09:42AM EDT

This collectivist scum wants to destroy america because of his own guilt.

sensey
sensey - Tuesday April 07, 2009 09:43AM EDT

Soros may be a left-wing scumbag, but he is arguably one of the better commodity and currency speculators of our time. I believe he is ultimately correct about the dollar - except for one thing: the Euro is also in trouble due to 1.7 trillion in loans to E. Europe. So whatcha gonna do? All currencies would drop against gold, while remaining relatively stable against each other.

Bulleye168
Bulleye168 - Tuesday April 07, 2009 09:45AM EDT

Traditionally its economic growth that drives inflation. What the FED is doing now is to ARTIFICIALLY create inflation in the HOPE of driving economic growth. This is the stupidiest thing I've ever seen, trying to pump up asset prices to induce folks chasing after higher asset prices huh?? Its DOOMED to fail, coz Americans are BANKRUPT, broke, unemployed. Worse, USD devalued in real term. Stupid FED.

Yahoo! Finance User
Yahoo! Finance User - Tuesday April 07, 2009 09:46AM EDT

This is sick! This man engineered the failure of the british pound and is now doing so with the US dollar. How can this be news? He is promoting his own hedge fund!

John P
John P - Tuesday April 07, 2009 09:47AM EDT

It's so easy for people to talk. If Soros is a billionaire and is so smart, then why doesn't he lead a movement to fix things? America should not be a nation of talkers, we should be a nation of doers.

sensey
sensey - Tuesday April 07, 2009 09:48AM EDT

Soros may be a left-wing scumbag, but he is arguably one of the better commodity and currency speculators of our time. I believe he is ultimately correct about the dollar - except for one thing: the Euro is also in trouble due to 1.7 trillion in loans to E. Europe. So whatcha gonna do? All currencies would drop against gold, while remaining relatively stable against each other.

Turner
Turner - Tuesday April 07, 2009 09:48AM EDT

the dollar is doomed. Obama's policies are shoring this up for Soros. Soros wants a currency with his image on it and he is working to attain that. They will break the entire world down in order to insert a solution. Watch it. Soros was Obama's largest sponsor, this has a price!

TR
TR - Tuesday April 07, 2009 09:51AM EDT

Why do they even have this guy on, he doesn't say anything other than this is a complicated situation. Well as#hole we know that. I guess its easier than taking a stand on something. Beat it crook.

juan_de_la_puta_luna
juan_de_la_puta_luna - Tuesday April 07, 2009 09:59AM EDT

Soros is just another Madoff. The Euro will lose it's value and hit the level playing field as the dollar as soon as the European Union stops with the denial and reallizes that their "fundamentals" are in much worse shape than the U.S.'s. We have hit or are very near hitting our bottom. The European Union has not even come close to seeing theirs. Tech ticker is like CNBC. They interview anyone that has a crystal ball ththeory that people will watch. In August, T.Boone Pickens (remember him) said oil would never go below $120. Where is he now?

juan_de_la_puta_luna
juan_de_la_puta_luna - Tuesday April 07, 2009 10:00AM EDT

Soros is just another Madoff. The Euro will lose it's value and hit the level playing field as the dollar as soon as the European Union stops with the denial and reallizes that their "fundamentals" are in much worse shape than the U.S.'s. We have hit or are very near hitting our bottom. The European Union has not even come close to seeing theirs. Tech ticker is like CNBC. They interview anyone that has a crystal ball ththeory that people will watch. In August, T.Boone Pickens (remember him) said oil would never go below $120. Where is he now?

__A_YAHOO_USER__
__A_YAHOO_USER__ - Tuesday April 07, 2009 10:00AM EDT

Translation: Take responsibility for your OWN salvation and do your OWN homework and OWN speculation.

Yahoo! Finance User
Yahoo! Finance User - Tuesday April 07, 2009 10:07AM EDT

www.richardsavvy.com

Jean-Luc A
Jean-Luc A - Tuesday April 07, 2009 10:20AM EDT

That's annoying Soros does not want to take any positions in front of the camera because that would probably move the markets or he may have legal problems. But the way he talks about the dollar "I know exactly where the dollar is going but I can not tell you...." probably means he thinks the dollar is going to lose value in a big way.

Summer
Summer - Tuesday April 07, 2009 10:20AM EDT

I see there are the usual right wing trolls on this comment section. Thank you George Soros for all you do with your Foundation - helping to make the world a better place. Soros is a man of power who really weilds it to help make the world better - the right wingers who helped bring about this economic disaster through their idiotic deregulation policies can't stand this and fear him. In any case - with all the corruption on Wall St. right now and the Obama economic's team's lack of balls to really fix the underlying issues, I think anyone who invests in the stock market right now is taking a big risk. Some banks are insolvent and they need to be temporarily nationalized. The level of greed in this environment is unfathomable. You all should read the latest Rolling Stone article on this - read it and weep: http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/26793903/the_big_takeover

mcrider
mcrider - Tuesday April 07, 2009 10:21AM EDT

I agree with John P...if Soros is so smart why doesn't he fix things...it's easy to complain and say that something doesn't or won't work, but the people that do that usually don't have a clue or an idea on how to fix anything (or in Soros' case, don't want to, cuz he's benefiting somehow)

Frank
Frank - Tuesday April 07, 2009 10:25AM EDT

Just like Warren Buffet - these people go on TV or wherever to talk up things to improve their position. Buffet - "buy stocks" since he had just jumped in. Soros on how good the Euro is..... he must be long. Not evil people, just selfserving.

PEDMAC2000
PEDMAC2000 - Tuesday April 07, 2009 10:25AM EDT

soros only cares about soros and his profits .. he has no scruples

t
t - Tuesday April 07, 2009 10:27AM EDT

listern up! the usa banking system has just spen five year commiting fraud on a massive scale. Issuing bogus mortages, with little paperwork to people who were cleary unqualifiable. Add to that appreasers who work for the banks and lie about values and the b/s insurance for the mbs. The bankers should all be in jail and their companies, BofA, Citi, Wells ect shut down. The US media goes a pretty good job of fudging the news and clouding the issues to a point that people sort of know the truth but do not really really know the truth for sure. But in the rest of the world outside the USA everybody knows for sure that the banking system of Americal is full of criminals. Criminals that are now being aided and abetted by a bigger crime which is the government covering up their crime with a bigger crime which is printing bailing out money. Now ask youself this question? Drum roll............ Would you want to hold the currency of a country that alllows and effectively rewards a criminal banking system. A banking system that having got away with it once, will almost certianly just commit more crime. I think you have your answer on the long term value of dollar. countries are only holding the dollar now out of necessity or fear. Not because they want to. This situation won't last for ever.

Deidred A
Deidred A - Tuesday April 07, 2009 10:29AM EDT

He may be smart, but this guy is as slimy as they get.

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