1990Britain joins the
European Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM).
Britain fell out of the
European Exchange rate mechanism, interest rates were hiked by 5% in one day, reserves fell from $18billion to minus $16billion.
Following the dramatic events of September 16 1992, Chancellor Norman Lamont was under pressure to spell out how much of Britain's foreign currency reserves had been used in the failed bid to prevent sterling crashing out of the
European Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM).
Soros made a fortune betting against Black Wednesday in 1992 when the UK left the
European Exchange Rate Mechanism.
Soros used Quantum Fund in 1992 to bet successfully that sterling was overvalued against the Deutsche Mark, forcing then-Prime Minister John Major to pull the pound out of the
European Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM).
It was under Prime Minister John Major's Conservative government that 1992's "Black Wednesday" struck, with the pound being forced out of the
European Exchange Rate Mechanism, the precursor to the euro.
Oh by the way it was called Black Wednesday and it caused Britain to withdraw from the
European Exchange Rate Mechanism at a cost of PS3.5bn.
We should remember the price that a previous government paid for speculation against sterling when we were ejected from the
European Exchange Rate Mechanism.
Bulgaria will join the enter the
European Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM II), commonly known as the Euro Zone waiting room, when the socialists have stayed out of government long enough, according to Finance Minister Simeon Djankov.
The reaction of several Tory councillors to news that Birmingham City Council might after all not spend millions of pounds setting up a municipal bank had shades of Norman Lamont singing in the bath when Britain crashed out of the
European Exchange Rate Mechanism.
This is comparable to the value it lost in the months following Black Wednesday in 1992 when sterling was ejected from the
European Exchange Rate Mechanism.
This revaluation, justified on the basis of "ongoing improvements in Slovakia's economic fundamentals," concerned the currency's reference rate in the
European Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM II), which represents the antechamber to accession to the single currency for applicant countries (see Europolitics 3540 and 3542).