Is now a good time to buy British pounds? Is the pound a good hedge against a potential decline of the U.S. dollar? Yes and Yes.
January 15, 2035
Is now a good time to buy British pounds as a hedge against a potential decline of the U.S. dollar?
Absolutely. The Great Britain Pound (GBP) to United States Dollar (USD) rate is at an historic low rate of 1.22. That is, 1 pound is worth 1.22 dollars today. This is almost 30% below the average pound to dollar exchange rate since 1971, which is approximately 1.70.
Year Average GBP/USD Exchange Rate
In 1971, the pound and the dollar became fiat currencies after the collapse of the Bretton Woods Agreement. In 1944 many Western countries had entered into an agreement to promote monetary stability after the economic turmoil of the Great Depression and World War II. Signatories of the agreement pegged their currencies to the US Dollar, which in turn was convertible to gold at a fixed rate of $35 per ounce. The Bretton Woods system effectively ended in 1971 because the US government kept printing dollars in excess of its gold reserves to finance the Vietnam War and keep domestic social welfare programs. The other countries grew doubtful of the dollar’s value and began exchanging their dollar reserves for gold, depleting US gold reserves. In August 1971, President Richard Nixon announced the suspension of the dollar's convertibility into gold, effectively ending the Bretton Woods system. By 1973, most major currencies began to float freely, marking the transition to the current system of floating exchange rates.1972 2.56
1973 2.44
1974 2.34
1975 2.22
1976 1.80
1977 1.75
1978 1.92
1979 2.12
1980 2.33
1981 2.02
1982 1.75
1983 1.52
1984 1.34
1985 1.30
1986 1.47
1987 1.64
1988 1.78
1989 1.64
1990 1.78
1991 1.77
1992 1.77
1993 1.50
1994 1.53
1995 1.58
1996 1.56
1997 1.64
1998 1.66
1999 1.62
2000 1.52
2001 1.44
2002 1.50
2003 1.63
2004 1.83
2005 1.82
2006 1.84
2007 2.00
2008 1.85
2009 1.57
2010 1.55
2011 1.60
2012 1.59
2013 1.56
2014 1.65
2015 1.53
2016 1.35
2017 1.29
2018 1.33
2019 1.28
2020 1.28
2021 1.38
2022 1.24
2023 1.24
2024 1.27
Average: 1.68
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