Currency Appreciation Calculator

Enter an exchange rate at two dates to see the percentage appreciation of one currency and the matching depreciation of the other, which is not simply the same number with a minus sign.

EUR appreciated against USD13.6364%

A code or name, e.g. USD.

A code or name, e.g. EUR.

A per B

Example: 1 EUR = 1.10 USD. Enter your own historical or quoted rates; no live data is used.

A per B

1e-12 – 1000000000000

EUR appreciated against USD

13.6364%

  • USD change against EUR-12.0000%
  • Start: USD per EUR1.100000
  • End: USD per EUR1.250000
  • Start: EUR per USD0.909091
  • End: EUR per USD0.800000

The two percentages are not equal and opposite: one is the reciprocal of the other, (1 + a)(1 + b) = 1. USD depreciated against EUR.

How this was calculated

EUR change = (ending rate ÷ starting rate − 1) × 100 = (1.25 ÷ 1.1 − 1) × 100 = 13.63636364%.

USD is worth 1 ÷ rate in EUR: 0.9090909091 → 0.8, so USD change = (1.1 ÷ 1.25 − 1) × 100 = -12%.

Formulas

Quote the rate as units of currency A per 1 unit of currency B (for example, 1.10 USD per EUR). If it moves from S₀ to S₁, B's change against A is (S₁ ÷ S₀ − 1) × 100. A's value in B is the reciprocal 1 ÷ S, so A's change is (S₀ ÷ S₁ − 1) × 100.

The two changes satisfy (1 + a)(1 + b) = 1, so they are not equal and opposite. A 25% rise in one currency is only a 20% fall in the other.

Worked example

The euro goes from 1.10 to 1.25 dollars. The euro appreciated (1.25 ÷ 1.10 − 1) = 13.64% against the dollar. The dollar went from 0.9091 to 0.8000 euros, a depreciation of (1.10 ÷ 1.25 − 1) = −12%.

How to use the Currency Appreciation Calculator

Name the currencies and enter the two rates.

  1. Name the currencies

    A is the quote currency and B the base, as in 1 B = x A.

  2. Enter the starting rate

    Units of A per 1 B at the start.

  3. Enter the ending rate

    Units of A per 1 B at the end, then read both percentages.

References

Frequently asked questions

Why aren't the appreciation and depreciation the same size?

Each percentage uses a different starting value. Because one rate is the reciprocal of the other, the changes multiply to 1 instead of adding to 0.

Does this use live exchange rates?

No. Enter the rates you want to compare, such as historical rates from the Federal Reserve's H.10 release or your bank's quotes.

Which currency is A and which is B?

The rate is the price of one unit of B in units of A. If the quote reads 1 EUR = 1.10 USD, A is USD and B is EUR.

Last updated . Results are estimates for informational purposes only.