U.K. foreign exchange traders may be able to close their foreign exchange accounts, but the value of the pound sterling will fall, the Bank of England said Thursday.
British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said it’s unlikely the pound will fall as much as 1.6 percent against the dollar as it did on Monday as the U.KS.s economy continues to recover from the Brexit vote.
Johnson said he doesn’t expect the pound to weaken much as the Brexit rate falls.
“But it is possible that sterling will lose more of its value,” Johnson said.
“The pound is already at its lowest point in over a year.
The pound is a commodity, so you can’t expect it to be able, even in a normal world, to rise to a level that’s not very high.”
In a statement, the pound’s chief economist, Markit economist Paul Blomfield, said the U of K. economy is still in its second year of recession and the outlook for 2019 is uncertain.
He said the fall in sterling’s value will be offset by the impact of the Brexit decision.
Blomfield noted that the pound was trading at about $1.27 before Brexit, and that it’s now trading at just $1,099.
Blomfields comments are the same as those of Markit and other economists.
Johnson, a former finance minister, said there are some signs that the Brexit result could have a “chilling effect” on the U: “I do not think it’s a case of the U, for instance, being more willing to take risks and take risks on behalf of the British economy.
It’s more likely that the U is more inclined to take on the risks that its economy is facing.”