Buying the Swiss franc may be the best hedge against the United Kingdom voting to quit the European Union (EU), according to HSBC — but not everybody agrees.

The British bank said the Swiss currency would likely rally strongly on a "Brexit," but would not weaken if the U.K. chose to remain in the 28-country political union.

June 23rd Vote

In just over two months time, on June 23rd, the UK will vote on Staying or Leaving the EU.

Since the start of 2016, Sterling has lost 10 cents against the Euro and 6 cents against the US Dollar.

Last year, the Pound Sterling struggled during the Scottish referendum on leaving the UK and many of the major banks believe the Pound will be under increasing pressure as June 23rd draws closer for our EU referendum.

There are strategies for clients to protect themselves and to hedge against the risks of the Brexit due to the uncertainty of the event.

One of these is called "Forward Buying" as this would enable you to lock in the rate now for a couple of months or protect a budgeted rate ahead of any potential exchange rate fluctuations which could impact your spending power.

Fixing your exchange rate in advance

Exchange rates can fluctuate dramatically so it can be risky to leave yourself open to market movements when converting money from one currency to another. Of course the rate could move in your favour, however, it could also move enough against you to completely ruin your budget and your plans.

A Forward contract with FC Exchange means you can fix your exchange rate for up to two years in advance, so you’ll know exactly how much you’ll get when you make your international money transfer. This makes budgeting a great deal easier and a lot of stress is removed.

Flexible settlement dates

You can ask us to book a ‘window period’ for you with the Forward Contract settlement date. This means you can settle in between two pre-determined dates that you tell us at the outset. This can be a really useful way to cover off foreign exchange risk if you don’t know the exact date when you’ll need to pay, but you still want to fix the rate. Again, this is really handy for property completions, because although you may have a firm completion date, funds can still take a few days to be released by a solicitor or notary.

Ben Amrany from FC Exchange follow this link or phone and ask for myself and quote "Cle France" on 020 7989 0000.

You may contact me directly using this form (click here) with your requirement and I will explain the options that are available to you in getting the best exchange rate.   

This week the Government provided every household in the UK with a leaflet that sets out why the Government believes that voting to remain in the EU is the best decision for the UK.

The leaflet was delivered to households in England from 11 – 13 April, ahead of their local election period and in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland throughout the week commencing 9 May to avoid disruption ahead of their local elections.

If you did not get the leaflet then download your own copy here.

Keep up to date with the EU Referendum debate and all manner of news by visiting the Cle France 'News in General' Blog pages.

Or Visit GOV.UK for more information and to access the source information for the EU referendum leaflet.

Blog submitted by: Alex at The French Property Network - Cle France.

Yellen’s speech weakens the US dollar significantly…

Janet Yellen's speech to the Economic Club of New York yesterday gave market participants a reason to sell the greenback. For the last month or so it's clear the Federal Reserve have stepped up their desire to reinforce the notion that future interest rate hikes are very much data dependant and reliant on solid global economic conditions.

So, how exactly did she cause damage for the US dollar?

Yellen mentioned two areas which are still niggling at the feet of the Fed, China and commodities. It's all well and good highlighting China again but this time we actually saw specifics, she detailed concern for their economy not only slowing down but struggling with the evolution from one reliant on exports to one seeking domestic sources of growth.

When it comes to commodities the main one the Fed have in mind is oil. Yes there's been a sizeable increase in the price which is a positive for inflation but the sector is volatile and one which the Fed cannot now simply discount as being 'temporary' in respect to its movements. Overall the speech seemed to have been focused around downside risks to the US economy. 

The key question on many client's minds - whether there could be a continuation of weakness for the USD. The short answer would be yes, however, one must respect the fact we are approaching key resistance levels for both GBPUSD and EURUSD.

These are the first hurdles which must be cleared before any moves higher can be discussed, plus, when jumping those hurdles the market must consider the EU referendum in the UK and a central bank in the eurozone desperate for a weaker not stronger euro.

Do you want more information ?

So if you need to buy or sell sterling and would like to be kept up to date with all the latest data releases and exchange rate movements then feel free to contact myself Ben Amrany. If you are buying or selling a house in France we will make sure your monies are in the right place at the right time, we work hand in hand with you and Cle France.

For more information on the currency service I can provide please feel free to contact myself...

Ben Amrany from FC Exchange follow this link or phone and ask for myself and quote "Cle France" on 020 7989 0000.

You may contact me directly using this form (click here) with your requirement and I will explain the options that are available to you in getting the best exchange rate.

Blog submitted by: Ben Amrany for The French Property Network - Cle France.

For everything you need to know about French property visit www.clefrance.co.uk

Of all the people of Gaul, the Belgians are the bravest.

"De tous les peuples de la Gaule, les Belges sont les plus braves"

– Jules César (Julius Cesar)

After les attentats hier matin (the attacks yesterday morning), all our hearts are with la Belgique (Belgium). La capitale (the capital) is known as le Coeur de l’Europe (the heart of Europe), with many of the most important parts of l’Union européenne (the European Union) finding their home in Bruxelles (Brussels).

La Belgique is also an important part of la francophonie and contributes many of the most famous chanteurs (singers) like Jacques Brel and Stromae.

However, not all of le pays (the country) speaks French, and that can lead to some confusion as to what language you should speak en Belgique.

The country is split between les Flamands et les Wallons (the Flemish and the Walloons). Les Flamands speak Dutch and live in the Northern half of the country while les Wallons speak French and live in the Southern half. There is also a small part of la Belgique that speaks German!

En fait (in fact), le pays is officially trilingual and le français, le néerlandais et l’allemand (French, Dutch, and German) are all official languages!

Pourquoi parle-t-on français en Belgique alors ?

Then why do they speak French in Belgium?

La Belgique entered written history in the year -57BC with the Roman conquest of Gaul by Jules César. Les Romains (the Romans) divided Gaul into different provinces, including Gallia Belgica, an area in Northeastern Gaul populated by the Belgae, which is where la Belgique gets its name.

Les Romains brought their language and culture, which had a huge impact on the history of le pays, and led to une partie de la Belgique (a part of Belgium) speaking French today.

Mais les Flamands ne parlent pas français ?

But the the Flemish do not speak French?

After the fall of l’empire romain (the Roman Empire) la Belgique passed between many different kingdoms and empires falling under the influence of both their French neighbours in the West and their Germanic neighbours in the East.

It wasn’t until 1830 that la Belgique gained independence after passing under French and Dutch control a few more times. All that had a lasting impact and gave la Belgique the trilingual status that it has today.

En plus de cela (on top of that), Bruxelles is a French speaking city, but is located in the Dutch speaking part of le pays!

While there are often many fun things to say about les Belges (Belgians), they are an important part of la francophonie, l’Europe et le monde (the francophonie, Europe, and the world). Les atentats have everyone looking at la Belgique, and it’s a good moment to learn more about ce pays formidable (this wonderful country).

Blog submitted by: David at The French Property Network - Cle France.

This blog was originally posted on The French Language Blog pages.

CBI Warns that UK Exit Would Cause Economic Woe For UK

A report commissioned by the CBI has found that a UK exit from the EU could lead to as much as a 5% loss of GDP growth and 950,000 jobs by 2020.

This could add fuel to the fire about fears of a Brexit and cause investors to sell the GBP more heavily at the next opportunity. As the referendum debate powers on and exit scenarios are peddled out by the Remain campaign, the perceived cost of a Brexit greatens.

This can lead to more panic selling the next time the Leave campaign seems to be gaining traction.

Does this potential volatility concerns you ?

Do you want more information ?

So if you need to buy or sell sterling and would like to be kept up to date with all the latest data releases and exchange rate movements then feel free to contact myself Ben Amrany. If you are buying or selling a house in France we will make sure your monies are in the right place at the right time, we work hand in hand with you and Cle France.

For more information on the currency service I can provide please feel free to contact myself...

Ben Amrany from FC Exchange follow this link or phone and ask for myself and quote "Cle France" on 020 7989 0000.

You may contact me directly using this form (click here) with your requirement and I will explain the options that are available to you in getting the best exchange rate.

Blog submitted by: Ben Amrany for The French Property Network - Cle France.

For everything you need to know about French property visit www.clefrance.co.uk