Traders on the IG Index trading floor in London. The British currency has been on a downward trend for a couple of months. Reuters
Traders on the IG Index trading floor in London. The British currency has been on a downward trend for a couple of months. Reuters
Traders on the IG Index trading floor in London. The British currency has been on a downward trend for a couple of months. Reuters
Traders on the IG Index trading floor in London. The British currency has been on a downward trend for a couple of months. Reuters

British pound's slide erodes summer gains


Matthew Davies
  • English
  • Arabic

The British pound fell by around 0.3 per cent on Thursday, following comments from Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey and a steep fall in UK house prices.

Mr Bailey told a parliamentary committee on Wednesday that interest rates in the UK might be close to their peak, hinting at a more dovish mood among the rate-setting Monetary Policy Committee.

Meanwhile, the latest figures from the Halifax showed that house prices in the UK fell 4.6 per cent on an annualised basis in August.

At one point, the pound fell below $1.25, to it's lowest level since June.

The British currency has been on a downwards trend for a couple of months, as a series of data releases pointed to slowing economic activity and demand following 14 interest rate increases.

That led traders to conclude that the Bank of England may come round to the thinking that interest rates might be approaching their peak, something Mr Bailey then confirmed.

Nonetheless, analyst feel there is still at least one 0.25 per cent rise left in the current interest rate cycle, which could come as early as the MPC's next meeting later this month.

“I'm not therefore saying we're at the top of the cycle because we've got a meeting to come but I think we are much nearer to it,” Mr Bailey told British MPs.

Meanwhile, a string of positive economic data in the US recently has raised the likelihood of the Federal Reserve increasing rates.

The release of the latest Institute of Supply Management figures on Wednesday, which beat forecasts and were at their strongest level since February, combined with a rise in the price of oil, has reignited inflation fears and strengthened the dollar.

“We think dollar strength has got further to run and will sustain over the next three months,” said Jane Foley, head of FX strategy at Rabobank.

Tamkeen's offering
  • Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
  • Option 2: 50% across three years
  • Option 3: 30% across five years 
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Farage on Muslim Brotherhood

Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
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“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.

MATCH DETAILS

Barcelona 0

Slavia Prague 0

Sri Lanka-India Test series schedule
  • 1st Test India won by 304 runs at Galle
  • 2nd Test Thursday-Monday at Colombo
  • 3rd Test August 12-16 at Pallekele
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Price, base: Dh399,999
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Torque: 875Nm @ 4,800rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 16.8L / 100km (estimate)

MATCH INFO

Syria v Australia
2018 World Cup qualifying: Asia fourth round play-off first leg
Venue: Hang Jebat Stadium (Malacca, Malayisa)
Kick-off: Thursday, 4.30pm (UAE)
Watch: beIN Sports HD

* Second leg in Australia scheduled for October 10

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Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin

Director: Shawn Levy

Rating: 3/5

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Why it pays to compare

A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.

Route 1: bank transfer

The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.

Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount

Total received: €4,670.30 

Route 2: online platform

The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.

Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction

Total received: €4,756

The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.

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The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.

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Our family matters legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

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BMW M5 specs

Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor

Power: 727hp

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Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh650,000

Global institutions: BlackRock and KKR

US-based BlackRock is the world's largest asset manager, with $5.98 trillion of assets under management as of the end of last year. The New York firm run by Larry Fink provides investment management services to institutional clients and retail investors including governments, sovereign wealth funds, corporations, banks and charitable foundations around the world, through a variety of investment vehicles.

KKR & Co, or Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, is a global private equity and investment firm with around $195 billion of assets as of the end of last year. The New York-based firm, founded by Henry Kravis and George Roberts, invests in multiple alternative asset classes through direct or fund-to-fund investments with a particular focus on infrastructure, technology, healthcare, real estate and energy.

 

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Match info

Bournemouth 0
Liverpool 4
(Salah 25', 48', 76', Cook 68' OG)

Man of the match: Andrew Robertson (Liverpool)

Kill%20
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Company name: baraka
Started: July 2020
Founders: Feras Jalbout and Kunal Taneja
Based: Dubai and Bahrain
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: $150,000
Current staff: 12
Stage: Pre-seed capital raising of $1 million
Investors: Class 5 Global, FJ Labs, IMO Ventures, The Community Fund, VentureSouq, Fox Ventures, Dr Abdulla Elyas (private investment)

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Directed by:Tom Beard

Narrated by: Sir David Attenborough

Stars: 4

'Gehraiyaan'
Director:Shakun Batra

Stars:Deepika Padukone, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Ananya Panday, Dhairya Karwa

Rating: 4/5

Brief scores:

Day 2

England: 277 & 19-0

West Indies: 154

Updated: September 08, 2023, 10:36 AM