Weekly US$ rates and comments – week commencing 22nd December 2008
The downward trend for sterling has continued. More record lows were recorded against the euro and the dismal outlook for business growth, falling house prices and rising unemployment has only compounded matters. Exchange bureaus are now officially offering less than €1/£1 and the market rates are only a few cents away from parity. Consumer confidence has been severely dented according to the Bank of England’s minutes, which were released last week and the UK‘s outlook is increasingly negative. Better-than-expected UK retail sales data both year-on-year and month-on-month did nothing much to help. Still no sign of any upside for Sterling.
The Federal Reserve in America surprised the markets worldwide by cutting interest rates down to between 0% to 0.25%. The FED’s accompanying statement to the decision which suggested that the rates will be kept at these levels for some time had the immediate effect of weakening the US$ across the board. However, much of the lost ground against sterling was recovered throughout the rest of last week as prices moved back under the $1.50/£1 mark. The future strength of the US$ still hinges on whether it maintains its status as a safe-haven currency in the face of weak market data and the volatile price of oil. Risk-averse investors will be hard pushed to leave their funds in a currency where there is almost a tradition of the government printing more and more money as they seem to lose their grip on the economy.
Topic: US Dollar Currency Exchange
Weekly US$ rates and comments – week commencing 15th December 2008
Sterling suffered another slump against the euro and drew massive media attention for hitting record lows daily. The fall in value of over 20% through this year has and will continue to have a serious impact on sectors the UK economy with added pressure on everyone from major importers through to British ex-pats having their Continue Reading…
Topic: US Dollar Currency Exchange
Weekly US$ rates and comments – week commencing 8th December 2008
Another week in the doldrums for sterling saw it fall against almost all major currencies, reaching a new record low against the euro and a multi-year low against the US$. The main focus of the week was the decision on interest rates from the Bank of England (BoE). Cutting UK interest rates from 3% to Continue Reading…
Topic: US Dollar Currency Exchange
Weekly US$ rates and comments – week commencing 24th November 2008
Another week in the doldrums for sterling saw it fall against almost all major currencies, reaching a new record low against the euro and a multi-year low against the US$. The main focus of the week was the decision on interest rates from the Bank of England (BoE). Cutting UK interest rates from 3% to Continue Reading…
Topic: US Dollar Currency Exchange
Weekly US$ rates and comments – week commencing 1st December 2008
Sterling made steady gains throughout last week against the US$ and the €, owing more to issues within the American and European economies rather than from anything positive from recent UK market data. The pre-budget speech by Alistair Darling last Monday did little to move sterling on the markets. However, one mildly positive note was Continue Reading…
Topic: US Dollar Currency Exchange
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