There were again no major UK developments during European trading on Thursday, although there were further reservations surrounding the housing sector following a run of weak data this week. Following the Bank of Canada comments on Wednesday, there was further speculation that that weakness in the sector would lead to a more cautious Bank of England monetary policy stance over the next few months. There was also a lack of commitment ahead of key events next week with some covering of short Sterling positions in evidence. Overall risk conditions were mixed, but there were still important reservations surrounding the global growth environment. Energy-market trends will also be important for UK currency sentiment
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The Euro held a firm tone ahead of Thursday’s New York open with solid underlying buying on dips and a lack of underlying support for the US dollar. Lower global oil prices also continued to provide an element of Euro support. European gas prices, however, increased to a 7-week high which maintained some reservations surrounding the outlook, especially with cold weather conditions continuing.
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US initial jobless claims increased slightly to 230,000 in the latest week from a revised 226,000 previously and in line with consensus forecasts. Continuing clams increased to 1.67mn from 1.61mn which was higher than expected and the highest reading since early January. Although initial claims remained low, the gradual increase in continuing clams suggested that companies were more cautious over hiring policies. The US producer prices data will be released on Friday ahead of the key consumer prices release next week and the latest consumer confidence data will also be watched closely, especially with the latest update on inflation expectations.
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