It has been impossible not to notice the comparative strength of the euro in the current foreign currency exchange market. According to a report on This is Money, many Brits owning homes abroad will aim to cash in on the euro’s strength by selling the properties abroad.
Foreign currency is, of course, very much in the public eye at present given the state of the economy on a global scale. Recent suggestions emanating from China for a global currency have been met with a lukewarm reception in foreign currency circles.
Given the current state of the economy, savvy investors are looking for new locations which may represent a good prospect in relation to the foreign exchange market. Slovakia may be one such location according to a report on This is Money.
Okay so we are all aware the UK is currently in recession, the question everyone wants to know is how bad and long it will be? If we are to believe the International Monetary Fund (IMF) then
As expected the BoE (Bank of England) reduced interest rates by 50 basis points early February and many economists predict a further reduction of 25-50 basis points in the coming months. The base rate is now at 1%, a new record low.
Writing these reports does sometimes feel like deja vu in the sense that the Bank of England (BoE) made history again last month. This time cutting the base rate by 50bps to 1.5%, which is the lowest level since the Bank was established 315 years ago.
As expected the Bank of England (BoE) slashed interest rates again in December following a 1.5% cut in November. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) agreed on a further 1% cut reducing the UK base rate to 2%. Sterling suffered some big losses following the cut recording new lows against both
In our commentary last month we indicated that the Bank of England may cut the base interest rate more aggressively than the 50bps forecast and indeed they did. However what we did not see coming was the announcement of a 150bps cut, and I hasten to add nor did the majority of market analysts. This pushed UK interest rates to 3%, their lowest level since 1955
It has been another roller-coaster month for sterling as GDP data released showed that the UK economy contracted by 0.5% in Q3 compared with the previous quarter. This is the first contraction since Q2 1992 and the biggest quarterly fall since Q4 1990.
It is fair to say recent market events have completely overshadowed economic data releases. It all started with the failure of Lehman Brothers and the Fed having to prop up insurance giant AIG. Then HBOS, the UK’s largest mortgage lender was forced to be bought by Lloyds TSB following aggressive short selling of HBOS shares. Subsequently,