Chris Redfern Moneycorp

Chris Redfern

Investors are still worried that the new Bank of England governor is about to commit the Bank to keeping interest rates low for a number of years.

He didn't do it last Thursday after the August Monetary Policy Committee meeting, so the assumption is that he will do it on Wednesday when he introduces his first quarterly Inflation Report.

The prospect of a long-term low-rate pledge has not been helpful to the pound. Nevertheless, it managed to hold onto its mid-field position last week as a result of respectable UK purchasing managers' index readings, improved consumer confidence and higher house prices. Sterling also received some assistance from the distractions provided by other currencies' misfortunes.

The antipodean dollars both had a tough time. The governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia endorsed the Aussie dollar's recent depreciation, saying: 'It would not be a major surprise if a further decline occurred over time.'

He also hinted at lower interest rates, increasing the likelihood of a cut at this week's board meeting. At roughly the same time the New Zealand prime minister described the Kiwi dollar as 'still overvalued'. The currency fell after his comment and it sank further this Monday when a batch of NZ baby milk exported to China was found to contain traces of botulism.

There was a setback for the US dollar when the important monthly non-farm payroll figures fell short of forecast. Even so, the dollar was able to keep pace with the euro as a result of earlier gains in anticipation of stronger data. The fortunes of the US currency remain tied to the quality of the US economic statistics; any weakness is seen as a sign that the wind-down of the Federal Reserve's quantitative easing programme will be postponed.