The euro and prices

By most measures, the euro’s first year been a success. Doomsayers had predicted that the currency changeover would cause mayhem on European highstreets, long queues in front of cash machines and a wave of crime and forgery. In the event, the participating countries adapted to the new currency quickly and smoothly. There were remarkably few technical glitches and not a single big euro disaster. Travel on the continent, meanwhile, has become a great deal easier, and there is some evidence that the euro is boosting cross-border business.