LONDON (Agefi-Dow Jones)--Sterling is at its highest levels in several months against the euro and the dollar, driven by the scenario of a faster reopening of the economy thanks to the relatively high pace of vaccinations. "Hope contrasts with the current reality," Notes Jeremy Stretch, a currency analyst at CIBC, referring to Tuesday's announcement that more than 6.8 million people in the UK have received a first injection of the vaccine even as the death toll from Covid-19 has surpassed 100,000. Sterling's rise reflects the idea that the UK could be in a "better position at the start of the second quarter", says Jeremy Stretch. "We know the first quarter will be difficult," he adds. The euro-pound pair fell 0.3% to its lowest level in eight months, at 0.8825.

The pound-dollar pair is stable at 1.3743, after reaching 1.3760, its highest level since April 2018.

-Jessica Fleetham, Dow Jones Newswires (French version Aurélie Henri) ed: LBO