EUR/GBP Rate & Comments for 29th September 2010

EUR/GBP - 1.164

Sterling fell by over 1% against the euro yesterday after downbeat comments by a key Bank of England policy maker left sterling floundering despite hitting a 7 week high of $1.5896/£1 against the US dollar. In a speech to the Hull Chamber of Commerce, Monetary Policy Committee member Adam Posen said that the central bank should start pumping more money into the economy in order to avoid a prolonged slump of the sort that Japan saw in the 1990’s. The markets were not expecting the negative comments and they contrasted sharply with his colleague Andrew Sentance who stated that the Bank didn’t need to restart the Quantitative Easing programme. Sterling hit a low of 1.1634/£1 and $1.5720/£1 following Posen’s comments despite strong data elsewhere. The UK’s trade deficit showed a stark improvement, jumping from -£9.6bn to -£7.4bn which shows that exports are improving. In addition, a survey by the CBI showed a marked increase in sales volume amongst retailers which was positive. However, this data was surpassed by the panic that the unexpected comments made. Today, we have lending data and consumer confidence figures. Speak to a trader now to stay abreast of the volatility.

In the Euro zone, it was a mixed day. Initially, the euro fell against the US dollar after speculation that Spain’s credit rating may be downgraded further by rating agency Moodys. However, weak US data and comments from European Central Bank Board member Juergen Stark helped boost the euro. Mr. Stark stated that the ECB may not renew some of the monetary support measures when they expire later in the year. In addition, there were reports that a former Chinese bank adviser had described the US dollar’s devaluation as “inevitable”. In terms of data, consumer climate data came in better than expected. There is no real data out today – although the euro is expected to give back ground to sterling as the annual EU farm subsidy is converted into sterling. Call in now for a live exchange rate.

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