Format negative amount of USD with a minus sign, not brackets (Java)

Question

How do I get NumberFormat.getCurrencyInstance() to print negative USD currency values with a minus sign?

Answer 1

Here is one I always end up using either in a java class or via the fmt:formatNumber jstl tag:

DecimalFormat format = new DecimalFormat("$#,##0.00;$-#,##0.00");
String formatted = format.format(15.5);

It always produces at least a $0.00 and is consistent when displayed. Also includes thousands seperators where needed. You can move the minus sign in front of the dollar sign if that is your requirement.