Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Pound 'better out of euro'

Sunday 09 March 1997 00:02 GMT
Comments

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Britain's interest rates will fall below euro interest rates if sterling stays out of the single currency, according to a report published tomorrow by the Institute of Directors.

The report argues that as long as the British economy maintains its monetary policy framework to ensure price stability and continues to improve its productivity faster than its Continental neighbours, sterling will gradually appreciate against the euro.

Meanwhile, the European Central Bank, which will be charged with setting euro interest rates, may have to maintain tight monetary policy - high interest rates - to compensate for the initial lack of stability in the single currency caused by ongoing convergence problems from the initial entrants into EMU.

"The European Central Bank will have the eyes of the world's financial markets upon it, and the onus will be on it to prove that it is genuinely a 'son of Bundesbank' with a conservative monetary policy to back it up," said Stephen Davies, the report's author.

He added that if Britain were to join the single currency, its higher productivity growth would condemn it to higher inflation than its European neighbours.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in