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UK retail sales leap by 2.3% – GBP/USD unexcited

Better than expected retail sales figures in the UK with downwards revisions not hurting too  much. Headline retail sales jumped 2.3%, nearly  triple the early expectations, with a small downwards revision from -1% to -1.4%. Year over year, we have a rise of 5.2% after 2.3% and against 3.6% expected. Excluding fuel, it is 2.3% m/m and 5% y/y.

GBP/USD  initially ticked higher abut is reacting negatively in the aftermath.

In addition, the public sector net borrowing figures show  -11.8 billion bounds against -13.9 billion, which means a lower income for the government. Is that what is weighing on sterling? It is usually a second tier figure.

The United Kingdom was expected to report a rise of 0.8% in retail sales in January after a drop of 1% in December (before revisions). Year over year, a rise of 3.6% was on the cards after 2.6%. Excluding fuel, a rise of 0.7% m/m and 3.5% y/y were on the cards.

GBP/USD traded around 1.4325 towards the publication, somewhat pressured due to the events in Brussels. There was no  particular front running towards the publication.

The EU Summit in the Belgian capital focused on the UK’s negotiations with the union.  All night negotiations were inconclusive. According to reports, UK PM David Cameron raised his demands and this put off his counterparts. Eventually, he will want to show his toughness but return with an agreement and proceed with the referendum.

More:  UK jobs report looks good – GBP/USD slowly buying it

Yohay Elam

Yohay Elam

Yohay Elam: Founder, Writer and Editor I have been into forex trading for over 5 years, and I share the experience that I have and the knowledge that I've accumulated. After taking a short course about forex. Like many forex traders, I've earned a significant share of my knowledge the hard way. Macroeconomics, the impact of news on the ever-moving currency markets and trading psychology have always fascinated me. Before founding Forex Crunch, I've worked as a programmer in various hi-tech companies. I have a B. Sc. in Computer Science from Ben Gurion University. Given this background, forex software has a relatively bigger share in the posts.