Fred James

It depends on your point of view.

Today the GBP hit an 8 month high against the USD.

We are all paranoid about the GBP/EUR but the currency markets see it differently.

People are selling the USD and buying GBP and EUR - the problem is they are buying more EUR than GBP.

bobd22

we are all paranoid about the GBP/EUR but the currency markets see it differently.

Paranoid may be wrong choice of words given that we are exchanging £ to Euro for whatever reason so it is understanable that we as in people living or with property in Spain are not realy that bothered about the Dollar even though that may be the catalyst for our problem.

HBG

I think Fred might be right about being paranoid. I think I am. Perhaps there is a reason.

I have a decent income, but most of it is in pounds. Since 2008, my income has fallen around 30 percent. My outgoings have stayed the same, although shopping has become cheaper, but that was immediately offset by higher utility bills and taxes.

I’ve also gotten used to the better exchange rate for the past 15 years or so. Jackies graph from 2001 brings tears to my eyes.

What is really frustrating is that we are all rabbits blinded by the headlights. We can see the car approaching but we just sit there until it hits us.

The car bearing down on me is still a distance away, and I hope to hop away in time. I worry about where I’m going to hop to.

Fred James

I'm also in that situation and I'm just as paranoid as anyone else. I check the currency rates more often than the weather forecast!

The trouble is there is nothing any of us can do about it.

CBANDY

And again everyone ignores the real problem of peak oil and peak population. Do your own fact finding. The planet cannot support the amount of people and that has the biggest effect on the world economy. Fact!!!

steviedeluxe

When George's spending review becomes public ( I understand around the 20 Oct) we should see a market reaction reflected in the exchange rate. At this moment though, it's hard to say in which direction?!

bobd22

Sorry yes we are paranoid re Euro, the dollar is of no intrest to me is what I meant realy. As for dodging the headlights I feel more like an hedehog as they always get splatted.

HBG

When hatchet-faced, hatchet man George announces the spending review on 20th October, we are all hedge hogs.

Fred James

Well that depends on what the markets make of it.

If they think it will solve all the problems then the GBP will rise - if they don't like it and think that the country will descend into anarchy then we need to fear for the GBP.

It could go either way.

jojojojojo

I agree - thats also the problem re the so called global warming issues!

Part of the currency stuff is something to do with China buying European bonds and helping the PIGs out, pushing Chinese manufacturing, refusing to devalue their currency and having underlying financial squabble with the US Dollar! Summat like that

Jo xxx

olivia

Usually its priced in already isn't it? Hence the recent falls. Lets hope so! Sometimes over done and the trend will reverse a little when the spending cuts are made clear.

frigilianafreddy

Malthus said the same thing 200 years ago. Cr*p. Utter madness - although it does sell large numbers of books. But then so do books on astrology, spacemen building pyramids and flying saucers.

Never underestimate the ingenuity of the human race. There are at least 40 years of KNOWN resources of oil. And the rate motor vehicles are switching to other forms of power, and the way Nuclear is coming on oil is no problem.

No were you to have cited the militaristic aspirations of a few rogue states, and the love of war of a few non rogue states, i might have had more in agreement with your doomed scenario.

Oil and population are the least of the world's problems.

CBANDY

Oil wasn't discovered 200 years ago. It's not the supplies that are running out. It's the cheap oil that's running out. Everything is about to get a lot more expensive.

jackytoo

I am abit puzzled as what this has to do with the pound/euro xchange rate

CBANDY

It's because it affects the whole world economy. The world economy is set by the price of energy.