The Pound And Euro Are Taking A Beating

The recent interest rate cuts by the Bank of England and the European Central Bank have lead to major selling of the Pound and Euro. Currency expert Kathy Lien talks about the recent development and offers her insight into the situation in her blog post below.

The Euro and British pound have come under severe selling pressure after the ECB and BoE cut interest rates by 50bp. Interest rates are now at historic lows for both central banks and even though the rate announcements were negative for both currencies, the Euro has sold off more aggressively than the British pound because ECB President Trichet warned that growth will be signicantly reduced in 2009 and 2010 while inflation will remain well below 2 percent.

More importantly, he admitted that the ECB is studying non-standard measures which include quantitative easing. However, Trichet prefers to use the Fed’s label of credit easing over quantitative easing (What is the Difference Between Credit and Quantitative Easing?). The mere possibility that the ECB could consider Quantitative Easing was enough to drive the EUR/USD below 1.25. With the third highest interest rate of the G10 nations, further interest rate cuts are still possible. By saying that they have not made a decision about whether 1.5 percent is the lowest level makes 1 percent interest rates a real possibility for the Eurozone. In fact, Trichet may opt for another rate cut before credit easing. For the US dollar, British pound and Japanese Yen, no surprises are expected from future rate decisions. However for the Euro, the prospect of lower interest rates and the uncertainty of if and when the ECB will adopt credit easing should keep the EUR/USD under pressure.

Bank of England: Rates May Have Hit Rock Bottom

As for the Bank of England, I believe today’s 50bp rate cut to 0.5 percent is their last. The central bank has been worried that excessively low interest rates would erode profitability of banks, reducing their incentive to lend. Now that they have been given the authorization to begin Quantitative Easing, it will be their new focus. UK Gilts have soared on the announcement that the government will purchase up to £100bn in Gilts and £50bn in private sector assets (syndicated loans and ABS). As we indicated in our ECB and BoE preview, Quantitative Easing is negative for a currency, but if the BoE is done cutting interest rates, further weakness in the British pound may be limited.

This post can also be viewed on kathylien.com.