• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

The millennial generation has split, new Fed research shows: Those over 35 are edging toward boomer-style wealth, while everyone else falls behind

2

Mark Cuban says he has the solution to growing income inequality, and it's to reward every employee—from CEO to janitor—with company stock

3

Mathematicians grapple with a ‘very rapid and very unsettling change’ as AI cracks yet another century-old problem

1

The millennial generation has split, new Fed research shows: Those over 35 are edging toward boomer-style wealth, while everyone else falls behind

2

Mark Cuban says he has the solution to growing income inequality, and it's to reward every employee—from CEO to janitor—with company stock

3

Mathematicians grapple with a ‘very rapid and very unsettling change’ as AI cracks yet another century-old problem
Eurozone

Currency war in Europe takes another twist as Danes cut rate to -0.2%

By
Geoffrey Smith
Geoffrey Smith
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Geoffrey Smith
Geoffrey Smith
Down Arrow Button Icon
January 19, 2015, 12:26 PM ET
General Views Of Denmark's Banks
A sign sits outside the Danish central bank, or Danmarks Nationalbank, in Copenhagen, Denmark, on Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2011. Denmark's bank winding-up agency is telling struggling lenders to seek its help before they collapse as the government steps up efforts to push through takeovers to ensure the country doesn't experience more bail-ins. Photographer: Ulrik Jantzen/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesPhotograph by Ulrik Jantzen — Bloomberg via Getty Images
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

After another of the Eurozone’s neighbors cut interest rates to stop its currency rising against the euro as the financial world braces for a big new monetary stimulus from the European Central Bank.

The Danish central bank cut its main interest rates by 0.15 percentage point to leave its key lending rate at 0.05% and its rate on certificates of deposit–the rate which forms the actual floor for Danish money market rates–at -0.20%.

That follows the dramatic move Thursday by the Swiss National Bank to remove the cap on the franc’s exchange rate against the euro, which triggered a 15% rise in the franc that wiped out a handful of retail foreign exchange brokerages, at least one long-established hedge fund and reportedly cost some major banks over $100 million.

Learn more of the latest news from the Swiss National Bank from Fortune’s video team:

Observers saw the move as designed to ward off a speculative attack by to push the Danish krone higher against the euro, something that would make life difficult for the country’s exporters. As with Switzerland, the Eurozone is Denmark’s biggest trading partner, and rising expectations that the ECB will announce a massive program of bond-buying to stop deflation on Thursday have put downward pressure on the euro in foreign exchange markets.

The similarities with last week don’t end there. As with Switzerland, Denmark runs a large current account surplus, and the central bank has been forced to buy large amounts of euros to keep the exchange rate stable in recent years as investors have sought shelter from the Eurozone’s political uncertainties.Its foreign reserves have doubled since the eruption of the financial crisis in 2008.

The Danish announcement, like the Swiss one, was also unscheduled and took the market completely by surprise.

Earlier Monday, the Swiss National Bank’s governor, Thomas Jordan, confirmed in an interview that the SNB had abandoned its policy of capping the franc’s exchange rate because he was afraid of losing control of his currency altogether.

But in contrast to Switzerland, Denmark has a small capital market and has never wanted its currency to be used as any sort of safe haven. For that reason, it has traditionally run its policy first and foremost by keeping the krone in a narrow range against the euro (and prior to 1999, the Deutsche mark) and set interest rates at a level needed to keep it there. By contrast, the SNB never viewed its exchange-rate cap as anything more than a temporary measure.

To be sure, a deposit rate of -0.20% is nowhere near as aggressive as the SNB’s new rate of -0.75%. It’s not even a record low, as the Danes had experimented with negative interest rates only three years ago. But Jan Størup Nielsen, an economist with Nordea in Copenhagen, says it’s quite possible they will cut more if the exchange-rate peg comes under threat again.

“Such a cut could come already this Thursday after the much awaited ECB-meeting,” Størup Nielsen said in a note.

The euro, meanwhile, has careened to a series of multi-year lows against the dollar as expectations of an ECB “Quantitative Easing” program have risen. By late trading in Europe Monday it was at $1.628, down 4% since the start of the year alone. A survey by French bank SocGen Monday showed investors expect a program of at least €500 billion ($580) to be announced.

With its neighbors putting on the hard hats so ostentatiously, the ECB now faces the risk of disappointing markets Thursday, many say. Stephen Jen, founder of hedge fund firm SLJ Macro, argued Monday that “any disappointment by the ECB this Thursday would lead to a significant tightening in the financial conditions, which is something we presume the ECB will try to avoid.”

Jen says the euro still has a long way to fall against the dollar as the ECB’s stimulus increases. He argued it “will likely launch a multi-phase QE in the coming quarters and there will be logical consequences for the euro.”

About the Author
By Geoffrey Smith
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in International

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • TikTok icon
  • YouTube icon

Most Popular

The millennial generation has split, new Fed research shows: Those over 35 are edging toward boomer-style wealth, while everyone else falls behind
Real Estate
The millennial generation has split, new Fed research shows: Those over 35 are edging toward boomer-style wealth, while everyone else falls behind
By Nick LichtenbergJuly 22, 2026
11 hours ago
Mark Cuban says he has the solution to growing income inequality, and it's to reward every employee—from CEO to janitor—with company stock
Success
Mark Cuban says he has the solution to growing income inequality, and it's to reward every employee—from CEO to janitor—with company stock
By Sasha RogelbergJuly 20, 2026
2 days ago
Mathematicians grapple with a ‘very rapid and very unsettling change’ as AI cracks yet another century-old problem
AI
Mathematicians grapple with a ‘very rapid and very unsettling change’ as AI cracks yet another century-old problem
By Eva RoytburgJuly 21, 2026
1 day ago
OpenAI says its AI models secretly broke out of a secure test environment and hacked into AI company Hugging Face in order to cheat on an evaluation
Cybersecurity
OpenAI says its AI models secretly broke out of a secure test environment and hacked into AI company Hugging Face in order to cheat on an evaluation
By Jeremy Kahn and Emily ForliniJuly 21, 2026
1 day ago
Despite a $156 million contract, Knicks star Jalen Brunson still calls his parents for financial advice any time he makes a big purchase
Success
Despite a $156 million contract, Knicks star Jalen Brunson still calls his parents for financial advice any time he makes a big purchase
By Emma BurleighJuly 21, 2026
2 days ago
‘I want to die broke’: Billionaire philanthropist Denny Sanford dies after giving away $4 billion
Success
‘I want to die broke’: Billionaire philanthropist Denny Sanford dies after giving away $4 billion
By Sydney LakeJuly 20, 2026
3 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.