Quote from forestfire:
HOBO, how would Sterling joining the Euro have any serious long term effect on the dollar? I don't see it.
I think the poll is a bad one to start with. No sane trader would
predict a 4 cent move as being less likely than a 50 cent move.
& as for all these predictions of Euro strength -remember that you are betting on the backward socialist states of Europe outperforming the modern capitalist economy of America.
Right here, if it's not obvious, I'm a Euro bear. & I've put my money where my mouth is with a size long term trade. Over the next few years I expect the Euro to get found out. Remember it wasn't so long ago that the Euro was trading parity...
I tend to agree with the above although I wouldn't make it a political system case, socialism vs capitalism.
Your statement is flawed in that no European member country is purely socialist. We do have Northern European countries like Sweden, Denmark and Norway that are based on socialist governments, yet they are not members of the single currency.
Hence, the best examples of socialist countries in the world decided to keep their own currency.
I believe any form of government can be successful as long as the politicians in charge know how to do their job.
I am a long-term dollar bull simply because the US is a single country and is structured to function as a single unit whereas the EU is composed of many different countries with different languages, different fiscal systems, different governments, different economies, etc...
When things start to go bad, I would rather have my money invested into a country that is better organized, more structured and quick to tackle problems.
I can't see this in the EU so I am sure that as soon as the European economy hits a slump, all of the diversities within it will be exposed and Euro will eventually tank.