Steve Barrow Quotations

We feel that the ECB should take inflation by the scruff of the neck and raise rates by a half percentage point,

We've seen some selling earlier this week, but a good number will show the general strength of the U.S. economy and help the dollar. Payrolls will be the key indicator as far as the Fed is concerned.

There are other countries at the G20 that are aggrieved at the weakness of their currency against the dollar - Australia for one.

Politicians, industry groups and research bodies are all uniting to call on the ECB for policy action.

But clearly any view on the Fed now is dependent on how the data comes through and hence we can expect the dollar to be a bit more volatile on data releases, starting with Friday's payrolls.

I don't trust this rally as far as I could throw it. It maybe takes a while for investors to decide to ditch even more stocks and become even more cautious about corporate debt. I don't see what's happening here as a harbinger of recovery for the market.

I don't think it's necessarily that bad if Denmark stays out. I don't think there will be a huge fallout in Danish markets,

If the Fed pauses at 4.5 percent, the risk would be the Fed has stopped too early and they would have to restart the tightening process. That would be a big supporting factor for the dollar.

History has shown currency intervention is a long drawn-out battle. It will take weeks, if not months, with or without the U.S., to boost the euro. It'll take a miracle.

History has shown currency intervention is a long drawn-out battle, ... It will take weeks, if not months, with or without the U.S., to boost the euro. It'll take a miracle.

People are clutching at straws if they think that the G20 will offer some kind of supportive comment for the euro. There are other countries at the G20 that are aggrieved at the weakness of their currency against the dollar -- Australia for one.

Markets are nervous about the outlook for euro entry. The market is pricing in the possibility of a remote chance of entry into the euro in the next parliament.

Markets are nervous about the outlook for euro entry, ... The market is pricing in the possibility of a remote chance of entry into the euro in the next parliament.

I'm still skeptical whether we will see a hike from the ECB this year. The fact the ECB won't deliver on rate hikes this year will probably pull the euro back.

Will the market push on for $1.05 this year and $1.10 by this time next year? We definitely believe that it will be the latter.

We don't expect a cut and we're not even convinced there will be a change in the Fed's bias. If the market is factoring in a cut, then it may come a cropper as a result.

With the FOMC meeting tomorrow the market is hardly going to care too much for the US data today.

We believe the euro could slide to 85 cents and things could get a lot worse, with the Danish referendum going against joining the euro.

We still hold firm to the belief that the euro will fall to 80 cents. At that level the ECB is most likely to intervene.

We still hold firm to the belief that the euro will fall to 80 cents, ... At that level the ECB is most likely to intervene.

We'd like to see it at the next meeting on Nov. 30. Underlying inflation is moving higher and Europe's economy is still strong. We will have to see what happens in the next two weeks ? it may be the next rate hike is pushed into next year.

This talk of tax reform will come and go. But we need the economy looking brighter, otherwise putting action plans together is just fighting a losing battle.

Fifty basis points is most likely; that's factored into the markets already.

There is speculation in the market that a Dutch company is selling euros.

We think it is unlikely, but it's a tough call.

Do we think it's going to happened? Not in the U.S., so then not in Europe, ... But then there's no evidence that the economy is going to show strong recovery either.

Fed speakers are saying they are going to be vigilant on inflation and if the data suggests they haven't done enough, they will do more. It's a short-term buying opportunity for the dollar.

Our sights remain on a plunge to 80 cents. If Duisenberg's most recent comments are correct, it looks as if intervention is stumbling already.

Any thoughts that the Fed may end the tightening process are likely to be dashed and that will probably support the dollar.

This is a problem of their own making, ... having two targets for money supply, which is heading higher, and inflation, which is on the way down. The ECB has to decide on one target.

This is perhaps the closest any Fed official has come to suggesting the peak on rates for now.

There may be some help for the euro if the European Central Bank raises interest rates,

Dollar/yen is slightly higher, perhaps as a consequence of that, with some of the comments sounding a little bit more hopeful in the sense of them not pushing on the anti-China trade legislation that they've brought to Congress. But we'll have to see what happens when they get back (to the U.S.).

Everyone is looking towards (U.S. Treasury Secretary) Larry Summers from the U.S. to tone down his comments on the dollar. His comments at the G20 are crucial if central banks are to intervene again to prop up the euro.

Everyone knows that as soon as London closes tonight, the U.S. won't intervene.

The Fed has been on 'autopilot' with its monetary tightening so that even bouts of weaker data, such as we saw after hurricane Katrina, failed to divert the Fed off course. But now, following the minutes of the December meeting, it is clear that policy will become more data dependent.

The Canadian currency is still performing very well especially in the face of a slightly disappointing retail number. The Bank of Canada's meeting next week will be the focus. A rate hike next week is most likely.

Inflation in the short-term could head lower than 1.5 percent, that would be at the lower end of the government's target range,

If there are no tax cuts (planned for the budget) then that may be used an argument to cut rates,

If European companies start to cut dividend yields this could start to hold the market back. The dividend yield cut story is just another excuse for investors to sell stocks.

I don't think the bank's message has really changed. The one view is that if consumer demand doesn't slow down, it will have to raise rates. But the other view is that consumer spending will come down.

However, it is not all bad news as the slide was largely driven by a strong 27.3% rise in imports. While this reflects oil prices, to some extent, underlying imports are rising, which bodes well for the economy.

The focus next year will again be on the Fed -- we expect Fed funds to go up to 5 per cent, higher than levels priced into the markets.

The euro will strengthen against the dollar and should hit parity some time in the summer, ... The euro zone is experiencing robust growth, but globally the markets seem to like the dollar at the moment.

The dollar still looks like a good buy. People are going to need to adjust to more rate increases from the Fed, so that's going to give the dollar a push.

The ECB needs to raise interest rates to stop a big slide in the euro. We doubt the German economy will slow down as is predicted.

The ECB needs to raise interest rates to stop a big slide in the euro, ... We doubt the German economy will slow down as is predicted.

The ECB is in a no-win situation. If it cuts rates it will be accused of taking risks with inflation, and if it doesn't cut rates, it will be accused of not caring about growth. It's boxed in.

The market will be interested to see whether any members expressed opinions about the likely end of the cycle.

The market, looking for a move down to 85 in the Michigan data, is maybe not pricing in the full risk of a significant slow-down...I think the dollar is vulnerable to a weaker number.