Will a stronger euro ruin Europe's rally?

International investors have been buying into European stocks, driving the euro higher. But that surge now risks dampening the recovery that started it.

The euro has gained 8% against the US dollar this year. In response, European Central Bank (ECB) president Christine Lagarde has promised to “monitor carefully” developments in the foreign exchange market.

A rising euro creates two problems: firstly, it means lower import prices. Eurozone consumer price inflation turned negative in August, so more deflationary pressure is unwelcome. Secondly, it hits the earnings of exporters, especially significant in a bloc where exports make up about 45% of GDP and bourses are crammed full of multinationals.

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Markets editor

Alex is an investment writer who has been contributing to MoneyWeek since 2015. He has been the magazine’s markets editor since 2019. 

Alex has a passion for demystifying the often arcane world of finance for a general readership. While financial media tends to focus compulsively on the latest trend, the best opportunities can lie forgotten elsewhere. 

He is especially interested in European equities – where his fluent French helps him to cover the continent’s largest bourse – and emerging markets, where his experience living in Beijing, and conversational Chinese, prove useful. 

Hailing from Leeds, he studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics at the University of Oxford. He also holds a Master of Public Health from the University of Manchester.