While the British end of lockdown is looming, the pound is still rising. It continued its progress against the euro and the dollar on Wednesday, boosted by the British ambition to return to normal at the end of June. At the start of the Asian trading session, it reached a high since April 2018 against the dollar at 1.4237 dollars and in one year against the euro at 85.41 pence. On Wednesday, around 20:20 GMT, the British pound gained 0.09% against the dollar at 1.4125 dollars per pound and 0.03% against the euro at 86.06 pence per euro. Sucden analysts believe that Prime Minister Boris Johnson is optimistic about a return to normal by June 21, and this is strengthening the British pound despite fragile fundamentals. “This improved outlook, for a country that until recently was burdened by Brexit and a sometimes disorderly response to the pandemic, is driving significant capital flows into British assets, which are behind the current strength of the pound,” comments Ricardo Evangelisa, analyst at ActivTrades.