As Brexit dominates the Pound, economics and monetary policy dominates the Dollar, and political scandal dominates the Rand, FX markets may start sounding like a broken record. However, one should remain very much aware that this repetition and almost paradigmatic taxonomy of certain currencies is more fragile than it may seem. Even the slightest amelioration or deterioration of the current situation could have phenomenal or catastrophic consequences for the respective currency. The Dollar has been the unquestionable winner so far this week as markets reprice their approach to the Chairmanship of Jay Powell. Sterling meanwhile has been caught in the doldrums, threatened by a Dollar that currently trades at 1.3750 against the Pound and 1.1280 against the Euro. The Rand has weakened off mildly following a disappointing and somewhat frustrating cabinet reshuffle. The Rand now trades close to 16.40 against the Pound, 11.92 against the Dollar, whilst clinging on just above 14.50 against the Euro.
Left field After this weekend, markets have been left questioning whether the White House’s pursuit of Greenland remains noise or has become a material risk. Certainly, the threat of escalating tariffs once again until a deal is achieved in the United States’ favour escalates economic risk once again. Trump’s social media foreign policy over the […]
TACO? According to media reports yesterday, the access to the hall in which Donald Trump would deliver his Davos speech holds the new Guinness world record for the largest international rugby scrum. That tells you three things, 1) Air Force one was late due to a last-minute plane replacement. 2) Security even amongst world leaders […]
A return to ‘sell America?’ The combination of (geo)political risks mounting up in the US have invited episodes of ‘sell America’ in recent sessions. This is a theme that dominated early in 2025 during Trump’s upheaval of the global terms of trade via a manipulation of tariffs. ‘Sell America’ is the trading outcome characterised by […]