Sterling falls to 12 month low as hung parliament beckons

Sterling nosedived in trading this morning after reports suggested that no main political party had been able to establish a sufficient majority and that a hung parliament was the likely outcome of 2010's general election.

The pound hit a 12 month low against the dollar (falling as low as $1.4597) and fell 3 per cent against the euro to 1.1547.

Mark Bolsom, Head of the UK Trading Desk at Travelex Global Business Payments said, "The pound has been crippled this morning by the spectre of political uncertainty.

"A hung parliament really is the worst possible result for the pound and FX markets are very volatile this morning. As expected, the pound has suffered, and sterling's losses are heating up in early morning trading.

"Investors are concerned that a hung parliament will paralyse the formation of a credible deficit reduction plan and we are beginning to see that concern manifest itself in the fall of sterling this morning, as they seek refuge in traditionally safe haven currencies.

"It is now crucial to our economic recovery that the main parties agree on a credible plan - indecision will threaten our credit rating and undermine the pound.