After all this time... Yes, you read that title correctly, it is finally going to happen!

If you haven't heard the latest from the House of Lords, Theresa May's government was defeated after the House stated that Ministers should guarantee EU national's the right to stay in the UK after Brexit.

The good news is the House of Lords has now passed an amendment that will guarantee rights of EU citizens, the bad news is that this amendment can be removed by the time it reaches the House of Commons, so unfortunately, this could all be for nothing. 

Even with everything that is happening from all angles, the British Prime Minister, Theresa May is still confident that she will be able to push through legislation to allow her to trigger 'Article 50' on the 15th March. 

So now I bet you are thinking...

"What will happen to the Pound once Article 50 has been triggered?"

If you weren't thinking this then okay but at the moment this really is the 'Million Dollar' (sorry... Pound) question!

Analysts from all major banks across the world have thrown in their predictions, and the general consensus seems to be that the Pound will continue to weaken even after Article 50 has been triggered.

Danske Bank is expecting the GBP/USD exchange rate to be at 1.19 by the end of March, Deutsche Bank is expecting the Pound to fall to 1.14, and others believe we will see the rate at 1.05. 

There is of course the counter argument that the Pound will bounce after Article 50 has been triggered as this will give investors certainty in the situation of the UK & Europe. This viewpoint is credible but the main issue is that Triggering 'Article 50' will start at least 2 years of negotiations, so whatever way you look at it surely that means even more uncertainty to the situation.

Remember, unless you have a crystal ball, if you are trying to predict what happens on March 15th, you are trying to predict how both human and robotic algorithmic traders will react to the news, which if history tells us anything that is tough to do. 

In the USA the Fed is expected to do an interest rate hike this month as well, it is the possibility of this happening which has strengthened the Dollar and caused the GBP/USD exchange rate to fall by around 2.5% this week. It is also difficult to consider what 'the Trump effect' will influence next.

In Conclusion

At Cle France we know how to get the best property for you at the best price so if you are likely to be trading currency with the Pound over the next month or so, I would suggest you register for an FC Exchange account (If you haven't already).

FC Exchange have access to many financial tools such as forward contracts (learn more about them here), limit orders and stop losses to ensure that you are mitigated from dramatic fluctuations.

For more information on the currency service or if you have any questions or would like further analysis leading up to the 15th March then please feel free to contact Ben at FC Exchange...

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

Guidance on Sending Money Internationally

Frequently Asked Question: 

Hi Cle France, we are already registered with a currency exchange firm and we do seem to get a few other FX companies phoning us saying they are the best? they cannot all be the best surely? as we have viewed with many agents and visited many websites do you have any advice or guidance on which one we should use as our date for paying the 10% deposit looms, exciting times!

Regards, Chris.

'Cle France' Answer: 

Of course you must use whoever you see fit, but I explain quickly why we recommend Ben Amrany of FC Exchange.

He handles the transfers for virtually all of our clients, and the reason for that is so that we keep everything in house: Ben, myself, the Notaires and the Agents in France all work together, so we know at any point in time where the money is, which can relief the stress for our clients.

For instance if a Notaire says the money hasn't arrived, I can pick the phone up to Ben, get the tracking details and speak to the Notaire directly to tell him to look again, and how to identify the transfer. But where we have another currency company involved I can't work for the client in the same way, and we have to depend on the client to resolve the problem, which can be very stressful, especially when the currency trader tells the client "the money has been sent", and the Notaire says "he hasn't received it"!

Sadly this has happened a fair bit when other currency companies have done the transfer. 

So the benefit of using Ben Amrany and FC Exchange is that... Yes, he will beat other companies' rates as he has a Best Rate Guarantee, but also that he pays careful attention to our clients so things quite literally never go wrong, and funds never go astray, and I can't say that about other companies I have encountered.

You don't even have to by buying a house with Cle France to use Ben for your currency exchange, indeed some clients who have viewed with us may actually buy a property with another agent, sadly we can't win them all, that does not stop them still using Ben and FC Exchange to get the best deal on for their money.

So hopefully I have given you a bit more detail, and feel free to give Ben the chance to at least give you a no obligation quote, but of course I stress again, you can of course use whomsoever you wish.

Thanks, Sharon Evans - Director of Cle France Ltd.

Current rates:

Friday 3rd March 2017 at 17:30

£1.00 GBP = 1.1606 EURO

£1.00 GBP = 1.2249 USD

£1.00 GBP = 1.6198 AUD

£1.00 GBP = 1.7464 NZD

£1.00 GBP = 1.6426 CAD

£1.00 GBP = 16.0514 ZAR

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.

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

Recently, we’ve gone over French idioms and other common French expressions. But now let’s go over some funny French expressions that will have you laughing out loud.

Avoir le cafard

One of the most common French idiomatic expressions is a funny … if not odd… one that you’ll hear all over the place if you have an ear tuned to it. Avoir le cafard literally means to “have a cockroach.” But what it translates to is: “to have the blues/to be feeling a bit melancholy.” Interestingly enough, while cafard can mean “cockroach,” it has several other meanings in French as well as “the blues” or “melancholy,” including a “tattletale.”

Il ne fait pas beau et j’ai le cafard aujourd’hui, alors je n’ai pas envie de sortir de ma chambre!

(It isn’t nice out and I’ve got the blues today, so I don’t want to leave my room!)

Les carottes sont cuites

Les carottes sont cuites literally means “the carrots are cooked” but it really means that “it’s all over” or “what’s done is done.” A similar idomatic expression in English would be something like “the goose is cooked,” or “the jig is up.”

Ne vous inquietez pas. De toute facon, les carottes sont déjà cuites.

(Don’t worry about it. Anyway, what’s done is done.)

C’est la fin des haricots

C’est la fin des haricots literally means “it’s the end of the beans.” It most likely has a sad origin: the end of food supplies during periods of famine; so, while this expression sounds “funny,” it might be more fitting on a “sad” expressions list!  C’est la fin des haricots means “it’s the end of it all” or “there’s nothing left.” While this expression is similar to les carottes sont cuites, it has a stronger connotation.

Il a cassé avec moi. Je crois que cette fois c’est la fin des haricots.

Devenir chêvre

Literally meaning “to become a goat,” this expression means “to get worked up” or “to lose one’s cool.” If you’ve ever become so enraged you can’t keep it inside, well, according to the French, you’ve become a goat!

Il m’a fait perdu toute ma patience et je suis devenu chêvre!

(He made me lose all of my patience and I completely lost my cool)!

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

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

The UK economy has fared surprisingly well since the referendum in June and outperformed many doom-mongering Brexit forecasts.

The immediate action taken by the BoE in cutting interest rates and increasing QE will have helped, as has the depreciation of the Pound.

The Q4 UK GDP reading  was better than expected at 0.6% and this helped support Sterling when it was released last month but this was entirely driven by a well performing service sector. As we bear down on article 50 being invoked next month how are the UK’s vital economic statistics looking in 2017? 

It would not be over stretching the point to say they there are some concerns. Last week’s service sector growth figure missed expectations for the first time since immediately after the EU referendum in July. Retail sales fell a whopping -1.9%, the worse decline since 2012. Perhaps setting the tone the housing market this year, house prices also fell in January by -0.9% and consumer confidence has remained negative despite a slight improvement on the previous month.

The only really strong number is inflation and which coupled with a slowing economy is no good thing- stagflation. Sterling’s rally yesterday was largely down to MPC Forbes’s call for rate rise which would help combat inflation but also hinder what appears to be fragile growth. 

It is hard to imagine that the triggering of Article 50 at the end of March will suddenly improve the UK’s economic environment. When Brexit negotiations begin further pressure is likely to be heaped on Sterling. Future uncertainty will impact the UK domestically and as we have seen since the summer international investors will be wary. 

This uncertainty only means one thing for Sterling....

People looking at buying exposed to this risk should start evaluating the potential impact of a 5-10% deprecation in the value of the Pound.

Current rates:

Wednesday 8th February 2017 at 12:00

£1.00 GBP = 1.1726 EURO

£1.00 GBP = 1.2484 USD

£1.00 GBP = 1.6362 AUD

£1.00 GBP = 1.7099 NZD

£1.00 GBP = 1.6419 CAD

£1.00 GBP = 16.7921 ZAR

Just imagine if YOU could forecast the exchange rate?

No one can do that of course but being well informed is a good start and knowing the events coming up that may influence the exchange rate may help you with your planning.

The latest quarterly currency market forecasts from the international money transfer experts, FC Exchange, are now available. The reports are essential reading for anyone buying or selling a property, in fact anyone making international money transfers.

The currency markets will always fluctuate, but last year saw unprecedented levels of volatility. The currency forecasts review the factors that have contributed to the uncertainty we have seen and look ahead to the issues that could affect currency markets in the next quarter and throughout 2017.

Grab your Free Report here... 

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.

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

For those of you who haven't already seen, MPs have voted by a majority of 384 to allow Prime Minister Theresa May to get Brexit negotiations under way.

This was widely expected across the board and due to this, the market did not react to the news.

So it is good news is that there is some certainty on the horizon at least, the Government can begin the process of triggering Article 50, which is something that can help stabilise the Pound as a currency.

So far this week we have seen the Pound start to bounce back slightly, predominantly against the U.S Dollar following President Trump's remarks about the Dollar being "too strong", we are currently trading above 1.26 for GBPUSD and above 1.17 for GBPEUR. 

What happens next will determine the direction of the Pound, Today we are expecting Theresa May to publish a white paper for her Brexit plans. This document will detail her 12 point EU strategy that she spoke about in her recent speech, and will be heavily scrutinised by the media & MP's. We are not expecting any surprises from this document, but the Government do always enjoy surprising the markets so do not rule out something in that document which could potentially cause market movement. 

More importantly, the BoE will have it's interest rate decision and release the inflation report at Midday on Thursday. We are not expecting any change as far as interest rates and monetary policy are concerned, but due to inflation rising globally due to oil prices it will be interesting to see how the inflation report comes out. Shortly afterwards, BoE Governor, Mark Carney will hold a press conference where he will give his thoughts about the UK economy, inflation levels, and of course, Brexit. The last time he spoke he sounded a lot more positive about the resilience of the UK economy, so it would be great if this opinion was echoed in this particular press conference, but as I always say, never try and second guess a speech, anything can happen!

In closing, Today is expected to be a volatile day for the Pound, and if you are trading we would suggest using stop losses, forward booking and other financial tools to mitigate your exposure.

We have all seen how quickly the Pound can weaken, so if it is at a level you feel comfortable at currently, there is little value in gambling on the market set your rate today. 

Current rates:

Thursday 2nd February 2017 at 08:30

£1.00 GBP = 1.1753 EURO

£1.00 GBP = 1.2689 USD

£1.00 GBP = 1.6556 AUD

£1.00 GBP = 1.7384 NZD

£1.00 GBP = 1.6487 CAD

£1.00 GBP = 16.9398 ZAR

Just imagine if YOU could forecast the exchange rate?

No one can do that of course but being well informed is a good start and knowing the events coming up that may influence the exchange rate may help you with your planning.

The latest quarterly currency market forecasts from the international money transfer experts, FC Exchange, are now available. The reports are essential reading for anyone buying or selling a property, in fact anyone making international money transfers.

The currency markets will always fluctuate, but last year saw unprecedented levels of volatility. The currency forecasts review the factors that have contributed to the uncertainty we have seen and look ahead to the issues that could affect currency markets in the next quarter and throughout 2017.

Grab your Free Report here... 

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.

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

Head, Shoulders, Knees & Toes

We’ve all got them. We’re made of them. We use them all the time. In fact, you’re using some of them to read this post!

I’d argue that it’s safe to say you learn the body parts in a traditional French classroom within the first few weeks. They’re very useful words, especially when you’re just starting to talk about yourself in a foreign language.

Even still, you generally only learn a few of them. When I first travelled to France, I’d already learned how to say head and arm, but you never know what word you may need in everyday conversation. I remember learning the word for ankle (la cheville) when I went ice skating with some friends – I was complaining about ankle pain but didn’t know the word for the body part causing me the agony. Once they taught me, I knew I’d remember the word forever because it was now linked to that event.  

Over the years, I learned more words, but I also learned how to say what these body parts do.

So are you sitting comfortably?

For today’s post, I thought I’d introduce the body parts and list the verbs for the actions they do.

That way, you can match the two words together.

la tête – head

hocher – to nod/shake

tourner – to turn

les oreilles (f) – ears

écouter – to listen to

entendre – to listen to

écouter aux portes [familiar] – to listen at the door

tendre l’oreille – to listen carefully/keep your ears open

l’œil (m) – eye; les yeux – eyes

le sourcil – eyebrow

le cil – eyelash

voir – to see

regarder – to watch

observer – to observe

mater – to check out [informal]

cligner – to blink

faire un clin d’œil – to wink

fixer – to stare at someone

scruter – to examine

le nez – nose

respirer (par le nez) – to breathe (through your nose)

avoir le nez qui coule – to have a runny nose

se moucher – to blow your nose

la bouche – mouth

les lèvres – lips

les dents (f) – teeth

la langue – tongue

manger – to eat

mâcher/mastiquer – to chew

ronger – to gnaw

embrasser – to kiss

lecher – to lick

parler – to talk

bavarder – to chat

respirer (par la bouche) – to breathe (through your mouth)

cracher – to spit

siroter – to sip

la gorge – throat

avaler – to swallow

racler la gorge – to clear your throat

le cou – neck

se tordre – to twist/wring/knot

se dévisser le cou – to gawk at/stare at something

tordre le cou à quelqu’un – to strangle someone

la poitrine – chest

tousser – to cough

gonfler la poitrine [expression] – to be proud of yourself

les épaules (f) – shoulders

housser – to shrug

la main – hand

les doigts – fingers

le poignet – wrist

le coude – elbow

faire craquer les doigts – to crack your knuckles

montrer du droigt – to point at

claquer les doits – to snap

faire un doigt d’honneur – to give someone the finger/flip the bird

grater – to scratch

tenir – to hold

toucher – to touch

applaudir – to applaud/clap

serrer (les mains) – to shake hands

frotter – to rub

giffler – to slap

donner un coup de poing à quelqu’un – to punch someone

tendre la main – to hold your hand out

tendre les bras à quelqu’un – to welcome somebody with open arms

l’estomac – stomach

digérer – to digest

gargouiller – to growl

les jambes (f) – legs

les genoux (m) – knees

les pieds (m) – feet

les orteils (m) – toes

tenir debout – to stand

marcher – to walk

courir – to run

donner un coup de pied à quelqu’un – to kick someone

enjamber – to step over

Bonne Chance!

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

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