January 1st, 1999: Euro officially launched.

January 4th: Euro starts trading at $1.1747 in Sydney.

March 11th: German finance minister Oskar Lafontaine resigns. Euro at $1.1028.

March 15th: EU Commission resigns. Euro closes at $1.0943.

April 8th: ECB cuts key interest rate by 50 basis points to 2.5 per cent. Euro closes at $1.0761.

November 4th: ECB raises interest rates by half a percentage point. Euro closes at $1.0376.

December 2nd: Duisenberg says euro has potential to appreciate. Euro falls to $ parity.

February 3rd, 2000: ECB raises interest rates by quarter percentage point, to 3.25 per cent. Euro rallies.

March 9th: ECB's monthly report warns of risk of rising inflation in euro area due in part to weaker euro.

March 16th: ECB raises rates by quarter percentage point. Euro closes at $0.9713.

March 31st: Euro falls below 100 yen for the first time.

April 27th: ECB raises interest rates by quarter point. Euro sells off to lows below $0.9100, 97 yen and 58p sterling.

June 8th: ECB hikes main refinancing rate by surprise 50-basis points.

August 31st: ECB raises interest rates 25 basis points, less than market had expected. Euro drops to new record low $0.8837.

September 14th: ECB surprises markets saying it will sell €2.5 billion in interest earnings from foreign exchange reserves but insisting the move is not intervention. Euro bolts higher to $0.8738

September 20th: Euro falls to record lows below $0.8440, around 90 yen.

September 22nd: ECB intervenes jointly with US, Japanese, UK, and Canadian authorities. Euro shoots up above $0.90, 96 yen.