You probably already know this, but I'm just learning, and like the Bible says, "A fool feels compelled to tell everything he knows." One of the reasons for a firmer dollar is these damn forigners need to buy dollars first before they can buy our now coveted newly down graded treasuries. Who says exports are down? We're selling treasuries all over the world. And the great thing is, it doesn't cost hardly anything to make them. At anyrate, if you own a dollar you can probably sell it to someone who needs it to buy a note.