The U.S. dollar got a brief, welcome walloping this past week, falling 1.5% on Tuesday alone against a basket of six major currencies. It remains up a hefty 17% for the year, and close to its strongest level in decades. That matters for ordinary savers, and not just forex flippers.

In the weeks ahead, the dollar is likely to weigh on earnings for big U.S. multinationals. In the years ahead, it could hold back gains for S&P 500 fund holders, judging by one recent analysis of the link between currency strength and returns. On the other hand, that means there is a double discount available now to U.S. shoppers in battered stock markets overseas. Japan looks particularly attractive.

Source: finance.yahoo.com