“This Is What a Currency Crash Looks Like”: British Pound At Lowest Point in 31 Years

This article was written by Michael Snyder and originally published at his Economic Collapse blog.

Editor’s Comment: Those of us who’ve been around for the long run knew that a big currency crash was coming. The assumption was that the big event would center around the dollar losing its world reserve status; but what if that only comes in tandem with EU disintegration, trouble in the Chinese economy and continued disruptions in price for oil and other commodities.

There are many scenarios that can play out, but one this is clear: currencies are not stable, and they are not invincible. Whether there is a larger plan at work, or there is just turbulence for Britain and European banks, major financial decisions are determining the future as we speak.

“Currency Crash” Drives British Pound To 31 Year Low, Deutsche Bank Sinks To Lowest Level Ever

by Michael Snyder

The fallout from the Brexit vote continues to rock the European financial system.  On Wednesday, the British pound dropped to a fresh 31-year low as confidence in the currency continues to plummet.  At one point it had fallen as low as $1.2796 before rebounding a bit.  As I write this, it is still sitting at just $1.293.  Meanwhile, the problems for the biggest banks in Europe just continue to mount.  At one point on Wednesday Credit Suisse hit an all-time record low, and German banking giant Deutsche Bank closed the day at an all-time record closing low of 12.93.  Overall, Europe’s Stoxx 600 Bank Index closed at the lowest level in almost five years.  What we are watching is a full-blown financial meltdown in Europe, but because it is not personally affecting them yet, most Americans are not paying any attention to it.

The collapse of the British pound that we have seen since the Brexit vote has been nothing short of breathtaking.  In fact, CNN says that this “is what a currency crash looks like”…

This is what a currency crash looks like. The pound has slumped to $1.28, its lowest level in more than three decades.

Investors are dumping the pound following Britain’s vote to leave the European Union on June 23. The pound has dropped roughly 15% since the referendum day, when it reached $1.50.

After appearing to stabilize, the pound resumed its decline this week after three big asset management firms halted withdrawals from real estate investment funds.

Of course this is likely only just the beginning.  There are some analysts that are suggesting that the British pound could eventually hit parity with the U.S. dollar at some point.  We are seeing seismic shifts on the foreign exchange market right now, and this is going to affect trillions of dollars worth of currency-related derivatives.  It will be exceedingly interesting to see how all of this plays out.

Meanwhile, Deutsche Bank continues to get absolutely hammered.

If the biggest and most important bank in Germany is not completely imploding, then why does the stock price continue to crash time after time?

Since the start of 2016, the value of Deutsche Bank has fallen by half, and many have pointed out that the trajectory that it is on is very, very similar to Lehman Brothers in 2008.

My regular readers are probably sick and tired of hearing me warn about Deutsche Bank, so today I will let someone else do it.  According to an article that was just published by the BBC, Deutsche Bank is now “the most dangerous bank in the world”…

Deutsche Bank shares hit a new record low today. It’s value has halved since the beginning of the year.

So is it now the most dangerous bank in the world?

According to the International Monetary Fund – yes.

Last week, the IMF said that, of the banks big enough to bring the financial system crashing down, Deutsche Bank was the riskiest. Not only that, Deutsche Bank’s US unit was one of only two of 33 big banks to fail tests of financial strength set by the US central bank earlier this year.

At this point Deutsche Bank is scrambling to raise cash to stave off an imminent implosion.  Just today, I came across a report about how they plan to sell at least a billion dollars worth of shipping loans in order to bring in some much needed funds.  Many of the steps that they are taking are reminiscent of what Lehman Brothers tried to do just prior to their collapse, and that alone should tell you something.