Sterling extends losses after new Covid-19 UK restrictions
Sterling extended its losses against the dollar and euro today, and is having its worst month in four years.
This is due to new coronavirus lockdown measures, the looming risk of a no-deal Brexit and as talk of negative rates weigh on the currency.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson ordered restaurants and bars to close early and told British people to work from home where possible, in new measures which he said could last for six months.
The pound fell on the news, dipping below its 200-day moving average overnight, with losses compounded by a bounce back in the dollar, which has seen cable fall for three days straight.
“This is another negative impacting already grim UK prospects, which however remain primarily driven by developments in EU-UK negotiations – where we have so far seen very little progress,” ING strategists wrote in a note to clients.
The possibility of a no-deal Brexit is also weighing on the pound, although Britain has said it believes a trade deal is still possible.
Arriving in London for informal Brexit talks, the European Union’s chief negotiator said he was determined to get a deal.
Boris Johnson is close to getting parliamentary approval for his Internal Market Bill, which angers the European Union by breaking the Withdrawal Agreement struck in January.
Sterling was at $1.276 today, having hit a two-month low of $1.2677 earlier. It has lost 4.8% so far in September, making this the pound’s worst month since 2016.
Against the euro, it was down around 0.3%, at 91.6 pence per euro, in its fifth consecutive day of losses.
British PMI data indicated the recovery from the first coronavirus lockdown lost momentum in September.
UBS Global Wealth Management wrote in a note to clients that a no-deal Brexit cannot be ruled out and would push the pound down to $1.25.
Analysts also say the possibility of negative rates is a downside risk for sterling.
Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey said this week that the bank’s latest policy statement did not imply it would necessarily use negative interest rates, and that observers should not read too much into it.
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