Sterling Recovers.

The question is will the recovery keep running...

Sterling ended the year on the ascension against both the Dollar and the Euro.

It started the year in similar fashion reaching 3 month highs this week.

The question is will the recovery keep running.

With global tensions rumbling it's a difficult question to gauge.

Will traders and investors start moving towards perceived safe havens such as gold which could bolster the Dollar?

On a more granular level, trading continues in a normal fashion responding to scheduled news rather than the more spectacular global news stories.

There's Chinese inflation numbers overnight with annualised growth of 0.9% which precedes big Canadian and US data tomorrow.

Canada is expected to release an unemployment rate of 6.6% at the same time as the much anticipated US non farm payrolls.

Analysts are predicting employment growth of 60,000 jobs.

The jobs data in the US has been under close scrutiny over recent months with the reported numbers often in contradiction to the Presidents rhetoric.

Economic calendar:
CHN: Friday 01:30 Inflation Report
CAN: Friday 13:30 Unemployment Rate
US: Friday 13:30 Non Farm Payrolls

So what next, what should you do?

As ever we look forward to keeping you in the loop and so please look out for our next update.

Our friendly currency experts are here to assist you and guide you through the markets, we offer a first-class service and even an online platform so you can monitor your transaction in real time.

Our business ethos is based on bank beating rates and fantastic customer service, click the link below for a no obligation quotation and see the savings for yourself.

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Get ahead of the game and read our Guide to Foreign Currency Exchange.

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Kind regards, 
David Evans 
Co-Founder of Cle France.

1. Great exchange rates
2. Quick and easy transfers
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Current rates: 

Thursday 8th January 2026 at 16:30

£1.00 GBP = 1.1525 EUR

£1.00 GBP = 1.3435 USD

£1.00 GBP = 2.0075 AUD

£1.00 GBP = 2.3365 NZD

£1.00 GBP = 1.8625 CAD

£1.00 GBP = 1.0740 CHF

• Want to Learn More?

• We have created a selection of Free PDF Guides for you to download covering many aspects of buying property abroad, visit our PDF Guides Page today or download our "Buying A Property in France" Guide PDF document.
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How to Save Money on your foreign currency transfers

• Regency FX can save you money by offering more competitive rates of exchange than your bank.
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• Cle France has partnered with Regency FX, a trusted and fully safeguarded currency exchange provider, to bring you even better service and exclusive benefits when transferring money internationally.

For everything you need to know about French property visit www.clefrance.co.uk

French Culture – New Year’s Traditions

On this deuxième jour de janvier (second day of January), I’d like to start off by wishing everyone une très bonne année! (a very Happy New Year!) New Year’s provides the French with not one, but two more chances to do what they do best . . . celebrate!

Like most festive French holidays, New Year’s (both le Réveillon et le jour de l’An / New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day) feature great food and, of course, Champagne!* Many French New Year’s feasts also feature a (or many!) big platter(s) of freshly shucked huîtres (oysters). Shipped fresh from the ports of la Bretagne (Brittany), les huîtres are a favourite of the French for the holidays

Les mois sans ‘r’

While oysters are now consumed year-round, historically eating oysters (and other seafood) in the warmer months could be dangerous for those living far from the shore (no refrigeration meant that delicate seafood could easily spoil in transport). Oysters also reproduce when the water around them gets warm (generally in mid-spring and summer months of mai, juin, juillet, et août / May, June, July, and August) and some find that oysters are not as good at this this time. These two facts resulted in a common French tradition of avoiding oysters in les mois sans ‘r’/months without an ‘r’!

Le saviez-vous? / Did you know?

Le jour de l’An (New Years Day) was not always January 1st. For centuries, the start of the year varied from country to country and even sometimes by region. In parts of France the new year once started on April 1 (and some say that the tradition of le poisson d’avril dates from this period). It wasn’t until the late 16th century, when Pope Gregory XIII introduced the Gregorian calendar we know today, that January 1 was officially established as the start of the new year (at least throughout the Christian world).

* While most wine-producing countries have some form of vin mousseux/sparkling wine (Prosecco from Italy, Cava from Spain; even France has vin mousseux produced in regions outside Champagne ), Champagne is only Champagne if it is produced in the French region of the same name.

Blog submitted by: Alex at The French Property Network - Cle France.

French Question: Why is it “Le Novel An” and not “Le Nouveau An”?

We wish all of our subscribers a happy and healthy 2026.

Talking about the new year in French can be especially difficult. This is because there are two words that mean “year”–an (m) and année (f), and because both of these words start with a vowel, which can change the word that comes before it.

What’s the difference between an and année? Besides the fact that an is masculine and année is feminine, an describes a particular moment during the year while année describes a span of time (this is similar to the pairs soir and soirée).

Thus, you would say: C’est le jour du nouvel an (It’s New Year’s Day) using an instead of année because you are referencing a particular moment of time during the year (New Year’s Day).

If, however, you would like to wish someone a happy new year, this is over a span of time, which lasts for the entire year. That’s why you use année in the expression “Happy New Year” or bonne année.

But there’s another trick when referencing the new year, or le nouvel an, in French. Because an is masculine, the adjective typically used with it should be nouveau. However, in French, an adjective cannot end with a vowel if the following noun also begins with a vowel (for reason of pronunciation or liaison).

Thus, there is always a masculine form of a word that can be used only in front of masculine nouns that start with vowels. In this case, that would be nouvel. Nouvel is pronounced just like the feminine form nouvelle, so don’t get confused if you hear someone say le nouvel an–this doesn’t mean that an is feminine. (You can also think about the difference between the demonstrative adjectives ce (masculine), cette (feminine), and cet (masculine before a masculine noun that begins with a vowel).

Alors, je vous souhaite tous une bonne année et j’espère que vous avez passé un bon nouvel an avec votre famille!

Bonne année! Happy New Year!

Blog submitted by: Alex at The French Property Network - Cle France.

Bonne Année à vous tous !

So what about some 'learning French' New Year's resolutions?

Une Bonne résolution de nouvel an...

Resolution 1: set learning French as a priority.

Fit it in between work, school, family, friends etc. we are all busy, all the time, these days and it can seem impossible to squeeze anything else in. But there are a number of easy ways to fit more French into your life so why not find someone else who wants to learn as well and start a conversation.

Resolution 2: Don't be shy.

Many French learners hesitate to use their French because it's not perfect, don't be one of them - keep practicing, mistakes and all and you will improve.

Resolution 3: Practice French every day.

The more time you spend practicing French, the more quickly you will learn and the better you will become, even if it's just by learning a word a day.

Resolution 4: Read in French.

Read the French news (online or off), read a magazine, a blog, a book, - try to read something in French at least once a week.

Resolution 5: Listen to French.

You don't have to go to France to listen to French - there are all kinds of opportunities on on the internet.

Resolution 6: Join a club or society.

Classes, meetings, internet learning, French movies & DVDs and other opportunities for more French practice are just around the corner, if you look.

Resolution 7: Watch French movies, TV & DVDs.

Make an effort to watch French TV once in a while, you can from the UK with SKY and other TV suppliers. French departments of local colleges sometimes put on plays, and independent cinemas are usually good for a French movie now and then. Join the local library who nearly always have a foreign film section.

Resolution 8: Get rid of mistakes.

If you're like me, there are some mistakes that you make over and over. Resolve to get rid of at least one a week, with regular practice and self-correction.

Resolution 9: Have fun.

French learning doesn't have to be boring - play French scrabble, read comics, listen to music.

Resolution 10: Plan a trip.

Why not put your French to the test? A visit to France on a viewing trip with us may be in order this year - Contact Cle France to set up your viewing trip.

Blog submitted by: Alex at The French Property Network - Cle France.

Le réveillon de la Saint-Sylvestre (New Year’s Eve)

The new year (le nouvel an) is fast approaching.

In France, as elsewhere, New Year’s Eve (called le réveillon du jour de l’an) is typically celebrated with friends. It’s common to celebrate the new year with champagne and fireworks.

But did you know that, unlike in English, New Year’s Eve also has a different name? In French, New Year’s Eve is also known as le réveillon de la Saint-Sylvestre.

But who was Saint Sylvester?

Saint Sylvester was pope (pape) from 314 to 335 AD. Not much is known about his life, although the church grew in power during his tenure, erecting such monuments as Santa Croce in Jerusalem and the old Saint Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City. Most of our common knowledge about Saint Sylvester is through unverified (and potentially fictional) stories about his relationship with the Emperor Constantine. One fictitious story stated that, upon administering blessed water, Sylvester cured Constantine of leprosy. Supposedly, it was Sylvester’s miracle that influenced Constantine to convert to Christianity.

The Feast of Saint Sylvester is celebrated around the world on December 31, because this was the day he died in 335. Today, many countries around the world—and not just France—refer to New Year’s Eve as Silvester, or a similar name in tribute of the ancient pope. For example, in Germany, Christian households traditionally celebrate Saint Sylvester’s Day by melting Silvesterblei (Silvester lead) in a spoon and dropping it into cold water, then divining the year ahead based on the shape of the cooled metal. In Switzerland, men dress as Silvesterklaus and ring large bells to welcome in the new year.

In France, la Saint Sylvestre is celebrated with friends, good food, champagne, and firecrackers or noisemakers. But there is one more tradition that is often reserved for this special day: le baiser sous le gui (kissing under the mistletoe). Unlike in some Anglophone cultures, where kissing under the mistletoe is a Christmas tradition, this ancient ritual is reserved for la Saint-Sylvestre in France.

Bonne année!

Blog submitted by: Alex at The French Property Network - Cle France.