Sterling hits a 5 day high

Sterling rose to a five-day high after British retail sales jumped for the second month in a row in May and far outstripped expectations. Sterling is likely to gain this […]

UK Retail Sales jump in May

Sterling rose a quarter of a percent this morning before any data, cementing some modest gains notched up this week. British retail sales jumped for the second month in a […]

Market Update

Today has a light data calendar with nothing of note in the UK. We have no further UK releases for the rest of this week. However, it should be noted […]

UK Construction picks up in May

Markets appear relieved that the Italian political situation has stabilised (at least for now), and do not seem overly concerned with escalating trade disputes. Italy’s new government will face a […]

Euro weakens due to Italy concerns

As the UK and the US return from their bank holiday, liquidity and European political worries dominate the agenda today. The USD remains a safe haven as Italian bond spreads […]

UK GDP rises 0.1%

Q1 Gross Domestic Product in the UK increased 0.1% in the second estimate, the Office for National Statistics announced this morning. This is unchanged from 0.1% quarter-to-quarter rise reported in the […]

Brexit negotiations resume today

Today’s UK data releases are the May Confederation of British Industry (CBI) industrial survey which will provide an update on manufacturing. That sector grew much more quickly than the economy […]

Employment Data Positive

British employers hired many more workers than expected in early 2018 but wage growth has yet to accelerate sharply, according to figures that leave the Bank of England still waiting […]

Rate hike expected now in August

The Bank of England will wait until August before raising interest rates, according to polls taken over the last few days. We expected a rate rise this Thursday, but a […]