Question

Suppose you are a euro-based investor who just sold Microsoft shares that you had bought six months ago. You had invested €10,000 to buy Microsoft shares for $120 per share; the exchange rate was $1.55 per euro. You sold the stock for $135 per share and converted the dollar proceeds into euro at the exchange rate of $1.50 per euro. How much of the return is due to the exchange rate movement?

Answer 1

The answer is €375.

Step-by-step explanation:

If the exchange rate is $1.55 per € then €10,000 is equal to $15,500. At $120 per share, you can but 129 shares for $15,500.

And if you sell those 129 share at $135 per share, then your total comes up to $17,415. If the exhange rate had stayed the same, that would be €11,235 just for the increase in the prices of the shares. But the exhange rate is $1.50 per € so the amount after selling the shares is €11,610. The difference the exhange rate makes is €11,610 - €11,235 = €375.

I hope this answer helps.