http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/business/2012-11/13/c_131971563.htm BEIJING, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- The spot price of the yuan against the U.S. dollar rose to 6.2262 on Tuesday, marking a record high since China's foreign exchange reforms seven years ago. Tuesday was the second consecutive day that the spot price of the yuan against the U.S. dollar hit a record high since China launched its foreign exchange reforms in 2005. Enterprises and banks have been selling off foreign currencies in anticipation of the yuan's appreciation, pushing up the price of the currency, said Ding Zhijie, an economics professor at the University of International Business and Economics. In China's foreign exchange spot market, the yuan is allowed to rise or fall by 1 percent from the central parity rate each trading day. The People's Bank of China (PBOC), the country's central bank, set the central parity rate of the yuan against the U.S. dollar at 6.2891 on Tuesday, the highest since May 9. The central parity rate of the yuan was 6.2865 on May 9, and even lower, at 6.2804, on May 8. The central parity rate of the yuan broke the level of 6.3 for the first time by hitting 6.2937 on Feb. 10. The strongest point of the yuan for this year was 6.2670 on May 2, while the weakest point for this year was 6.3495 on Aug. 16. China abandoned a decade-old peg to the U.S. dollar by allowing its currency to fluctuate against a basket of currencies on July 21, 2005.
I don't really understand it. As far as I know, they don't let me trade the yuan on the spot market. Depends on what day you check. If you consider all Europe as one economy, they are the largest. I just heard today China is number two. So that makes usd number three?