The Fed has been pouring billions into the recession to encourage lending and spending.

Now there are so many dollars out there that each one is worth less.

The international value of the dollar is down, and other currencies like the Japanese yen are a lot stronger.

Currency values fluctuate by the minute. Four times Wednesday, the yen passed parity with the dollar, hitting 99 cents before closing just above 100.

In this case, the higher numbers mean a weaker yen, so it takes more yen to buy a dollar. It took 110 yen to buy 100 cents in August, but now the penny and the yen are worth about the same.

For a Japanese family spending more than $10,000 on hotels, plane fare and incidentals for a one week vacation, even a change from 105 to 100 means, all other things equal, hundreds of dollars more to spend.

It might even be enough to induce more Japanese to make the trip.

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