FT Hard Currency

The US currency's ascent in 2018 has surprised many analysts and investors. The reflation trade that followed the election of Donald Trump was not expected to last. Stephen Gallo of the Bank of Montreal tells Michael Hunter why the rally has endured, and outlines the wider factors setting the pace for the euro, emerging market currencies and the pound.This is the final edition of Hard Currency before the podcast is relaunched, taking a fresh approach to a wider range of markets. Please stay subscribed to be among the first to hear it. 

Trade tensions are hotting up, Brexit talks are souring and the Federal Reserve is gearing up for another rate hike, yet currencies in the firing line, from emerging markets to sterling, seem unperturbed. Jane Foley of Rabobank tells Roger Blitz why currency moves are not reverting to type

Inflation strength in Europe and the the UK and weakness in the US were important factors in forex as central banks took centre stage, while Turkey's big interest rate rise helped stabilise emerging markets. Kamal Sharma of BofA Merrill Lynch tells Roger Blitz what that means for the dollar, the euro and the pound, and whether EM currencies are out of the woods

A week dominated by falls in emerging market currencies, notably the South African rand, is triggering another bout of concern that the problems that afflicted the Argentine peso and the Turkish lira this year are becoming contagious. Kit Juckes of Société Générale discusses with Roger Blitz the reasons why EM are again under pressure and what it would take for their currencies to gain some respite

The British pound, Argentina's peso and Turkey's lira: all of them in the news and all getting pushed around (albeit in different directions) by politics. Katie Martin talks to Eoin Murray, head of investment at Hermes, about what the moves are telling us and what these shocks tell us about global market conditions.

The dollar came under pressure on two fronts this week - Donald Trump's impeachment risk and the president's disparaging remarks about the Federal Reserve for raising US interest rates. But it is the Fed's own views, with a tilt to the dovish side, that should see the dollar lose the momentum of recent months, Société Générale's Alvin Tan tells Roger Blitz. That should mean renewed strength for the euro and yen, but not necessarily for emerging market currencies. 

Turkey's troubled lira, worries about emerging market currencies and the impact of sanctions and tariffs on the rouble and renminbi have put foreign exchange at the heart of the financial market's traditional August anxiety. Derek Halpenny of MUFG discusses with Roger Blitz the longer term implications of the weeks of summer turmoil, and offers a note of caution on the rising dollar

Federal Reserve chair Jay Powell this week injected renewed vigour into the dollar, while weak data and Brexit woes undermined the pound. David Bloom of HSBC tells Roger Blitz why the case for continued dollar strength is more convincing than the case for further sterling weakness.