Brussels, 22/03/2001 (Agence Europe) - The European single currency recorded on Thursday its lowest value on the exchange markets for three months, while the European financial markets experienced an fall not seen for more than a year. At 10am, one Euro is worth 0.8895 Dollars, while the index limited to the Euro zone DJ Euro Stoxx 50 lost 2.80%. If the telecommunications operators, in the front line, are the most affected by these movements, some traditional stocks, including Zurich Financial and Volkswagen, are also affected. According to an analyst close to the European Central Bank (ECB), this fall seems to confirm the role of haven currency experienced by the Dollar and the confidence that investors continue to have with the fundamentals of the American economy, despite the slowdown it is experiencing. He also questions the lack of leadership of the European political authorities in the face of this debacle. Moreover, financial experts reproach the ECB President Win Duisenberg for maintaining headline interest rates unchanged, as he once more confirmed on Wednesday. Some signs confirm that, as opposed to the official language used by the Commission, the Eurogroup and the ECB, the European economy could suffer from the slowdown in the American economy. Thus, France announced on Thursday the downward revision of its growth forecasts for 2001, falling from 3.3% to 2.9%.