Why has Pound/Euro fallen into €1.38's?

Friday 21st August 2015
Since my last post on Tuesday, Sterling/Euro rates have fallen from €1.42 into the €1.38's, caused by the Euro gaining strength. 

There are several factors that have caused the single currency to gain. Firstly the news that Greek Prime Minister and Syriza leader Alexis Tsipras stood down on Thursday, paving the way for new elections. This seems to have been taken as a positive move for the Euro and last night the rate starting slipping away. This continued this morning when German and European inflation numbers were better than expected, coupled with worse than expected UK Public Sector borrowing data. 

As you can see from the chart below, in the last week the rate has been in steady decline. With a resolution to the Greek debt crisis, and decent EU economic data, this could well spell the end of the record 8 year high GBP/EUR exchange rates we have seen recently. It’s good news however for those selling Euros, with a typical conversion of €250,000.00 netting £4500.00 more in just a few days. 

China Slow down affects currency markets 

Elsewhere, the slowdown in China continues with stock markets there dropping again. This affects other global currencies because China is such a huge economy. Countries like Australia that export to China are suffering, and so the Aussie Dollar has weakened recently. The US Dollar benefits and gains strength as investors become risk averse and seek safe haven currencies. 

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GBP/EUR drops to €1.3850 as Euro gains strength. GBP/USD rises.

Wednesday 29th April 2014 
In my last post a week ago, I talked about the Sterling/Euro rate breaking through the €1.40 level. As I predicted, this spike to a near 8 year high was short lived, and today the rate has fallen from 1.40 down to €1.3850 as you can see from the chart below: 

Why has the Pound/Euro rate fallen? 

Simply put, the Eurozone economy is starting to perform well. Euro and German bond yields rose to their highest level in several weeks today, after data showed bank lending has stopped falling, and consumer inflation expectations have risen. As the European economist at RBC Capital Market has said, "Happier days are on the cards”. He added that "The continued improvement in credit supply conditions bodes well for the sustainability of the euro area recovery overall." 

So it seems that the latest figures show that the European Central Bank's (ECB) Quantitative Easing programme is starting to have a good effect, much as stimulus programmes in the UK and USA have done. Also, there has been positive news on Greece. They are expected to present legislation to lenders to show it is serious in making efforts to repay it’s debts, and as a result the Euro has gained strength and become more expensive to buy. 

If you need to buy or sell Euros, would like a quote or to discuss whether the Pound/Euro rate is likely to go up or down in the coming weeks or months, send me a free enquiry today by clicking here. 

Pound/Dollar rates rise to nearly $1.55 

In contrast to the GBP/EUR rate dropping, GBP/USD has risen nicely in the last few weeks, rising from $1.46 to $1.55: 

This is because today figures showed that the US Economy is growing much slower than expected. In turn this means that interest rates aren’t likely to rise as quickly as previously thought, and as a result the US Dollar has lost value and become more expensive to buy. 

Which way will Pound/Euro and Pound/Dollar exchange rates move next? 

While it’s impossible to predict, I think that now the EU economy is looking more robust, focus will turn to the UK election, so we could well see Pound /Euro rates continue to fall. That assumes of course that Greece makes its upcoming €1bn debt repayments. If they don’t, a rise back to €1.40 could be on the cards. 

Pound/Dollar rates on the other hand are likely to keep dropping. I think this spike above $1.50 will be short lived and expect the rate to be back down in the €1.40’s before long. 

Getting the best exchange rates 

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Pound/Euro falls: August 2012 forecast

Wednesday 1st August 2012
Good morning. Today I'll give a quick mid-week update on what's been happening in the currency markets in the run up to tomorrows policy decisions by the Bank of England (BoE) and European Central Bank (ECB), after we saw Sterling/Euro rates take a tumble throughout trading yesterday.

Pound/Euro rate falls on positivity from EU leaders

This week we have seen some robust comments from EU leaders that the EU debt crisis will be tackled, and this has strengthened the Euro and pulled exchange rates down. So what was said?

French President Mr Hollande said they agreed that the euro should be "defended, preserved and consolidated" and added there had been "significant progress" in recent weeks. Italy's Prime Minister Mario Monti has said he sees "light at the end of the tunnel" on the eurozone debt crisis.

As well as his meeting with Mr Hollande, Mr Monti is also travelling to Finland and Spain, and he said he hoped his meetings would help "secure the euro and give a decisive boost to European growth".

Over the weekend, a joint statement from Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande was thought to indicate that Germany had softened its opposition to using the ECB and European bailout funds to buy government debt.

The comments have caused the Euro to strengthen and pull GBP/EUR rates down over a point yesterday as the graph below shows.
















So what does it all mean?

These comments come amid speculation in recent days that European authorities are set to take action to lower borrowing costs for Spain and Italy. Tomorrow we have the BoE and ECB decisions on monetary policy. The ECB meeting is now expected to overshadow policy decisions by the Bank of England and the Federal Reserve after last week's pledge by ECB President Mario Draghi to do "whatever it takes" to protect the euro.

If the ECB delivers credible measures, it could boost investor appetite for taking on risk, helping sterling against the dollar, but if it disappoints markets it could lead to sharp falls in the euro and other trades perceived as higher-risk.

So we all await what will happen on Thursday. Expect volatility in GBP/EUR rates - if the markets think action taken is good news, expect Pound/Euro to fall further. If however it's just a case of them kicking the can further down the road, then I think rates will climb back up.

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Pound/Euro falls March 2012 forecast predictions

Friday 9th March 2012
Good morning. Why has Pound/Euro fallen? Yesterday the Pound fell against the Euro, and rose against the US Dollar. It was developments in Greece and the EU that drove rates, with renewed optimism over the EU economy strengthening the Euro and other riskier currencies such as Sterling. So, the Pound gained against many currencies, but fell against the Euro, as the charts below illustrate:

~Currency Movements on Thursday 8th March 2012~











Euro strengthens on optimism over Greece

The Euro gained strength yesterday, becoming more expensive to purchase. It was due to Greece making progress on their debt swap. Analysts said the euro may have scope for short-term gains on a positive outcome to the Greece deal.

As the market focused on events in Greece, European Central Bank President Mario Draghi said there were signs of stability in the euro zone economy, and basically stated Greece would be allowed to default if necessary. This gave renewed optimism about the EU economy, and as such the Euro gained strength, along with other riskier currencies such as Sterling. This is why Pound/Euro exchange rates have fallen March 2012.

ECB and BoE leaves interest rates on hold

As I predicted yesterday, both central banks left rates on hold, and the BoE decided not to pursue any further Quantitative Easing for the time being. It's what the market expected, and so the decisions had little effect on exchange rates.

Going forwards, I think that at some point later this year, the ECB will make a rate cut which could weaken the Euro. Also the minutes to the BoE decision in 2 weeks time, will shed more light on if and when more QE will be on the way.

Today's Data

We end the week with a host of UK data including the latest GDP estimate, Trade Balance, Industrial Production, Manufacturing Production and Producer Price Index figures. Germany also releases Trade Balance numbers and inflation data. Stateside there are unemployment data and more trade balance figures - also we have the all important non farm payrolls, which often has a big effect on GBP/USD rates.

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