Pound falls 0.3% vs dollar after attacks

LONDON: The pound fell in Asian trading after a weekend terror attack in London killed seven people, days before the nation votes in a snap election.

Sterling declined as much as 0.3% against the dollar. Leveraged clients are waiting the results of new polls taken after the incident, according to a trader.

The third attack in the UK in less than three months comes before the June 8 vote, which will be held as armed police patrol the streets in the greatest show of force for decades.

Sterling has been buffeted over the past two weeks as polls have depicted a tightening race, raising the possibility of a hung parliament. “We are still cautious on the pound,“ said Daniel Been, head of foreign-exchange research at Australia & New Zealand Banking Group.

“Even once this week's election is out of the way, there are still numerous uncertainties surrounding Brexit, in particular on where the common ground for negotiation is with Europe's negotiating parties. At the same time, the economy is slowing.“