Pound to Decline Versus Higher-Yielding Currencies on Weak Recovery

The United Kingdom has been showing itself as one of the least resilient nations among the wealthiest countries in the world, and its weak economic data combined with a ineffective monetary policy is likely to set the sterling further down in the first semester of 2010, specially versus higher-yielding options
Bank of England policy makers insisted to extend its so far frustrated bond purchase strategy, injecting its remaining 200 billion pounds on the program, as interest rates remain at an all-time record low of 0.50 percent, maintaining the pound’s outlook negative, specially as the traders started the year with high levels of risk appetite. Commodities linked currencies like the Australian and the Canadian dollar are likely to rally further versus the pound this year, and demand for energy is likely to favor these oil producer’s currencies, specially for Canada’s currency, as the winter in the Northern Hemisphere has been one of severest in the past year, increasing demand for energy in the United States.
This week will be marked by a monthly manufacturing production report in the U.K., which has provided mixed data in the past months, but nevertheless, as analysts aren’t very optimistic regarding British economic growth in the first quarter of 2010, the pound has considerable odds to lose further versus the currencies above mentioned.
GBP/CAD started this week trading at 1.6495 from as high as 1.6850 one week ago.

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