A large and sustained nominal appreciation in 1996-8 led to a serious and continuing overvaluation of sterling which has been associated with severe pressure on the manufacturing sector. The policy makers had difficulty in understanding past and forecasting future movements of sterling. They...

This article introduces the three contributions to the Feature, which address issues raised by the sterling appreciation of 1996-97 and the subsequent prolonged overvaluation. Cobham discusses the MPC's understanding of exchange rate changes and examines policy makers' responses to the proposal...