Sterling had a mixed week trading in a range against the euro and the US dollar; but, strengthening against the commodity backed currencies. The Bank of England’s minutes revealed that two of its members voted for £25 billion more to be pumped in to the economy which led some economists to predict that further stimulus could be on the way. Data released showed public borrowing rose by much more than expected last month. The annual budget was also announced, which included several new policies on tax and included several unpopular proposals; however, the budget announcement did little to effect sterling’s strength as the announcements were largely expected. The slump in retail sales figures released yesterday did little to help the negativity in the UK with data showing a contraction of -0.8% as opposed to the -0.5% expected. There is very little data out of the UK today except figures showing the change in the number of mortgages that were approved last month. Call in now for the latest news and a live update.

There was very little data released from the Eurozone this week; but, a raft of poor Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) data out yesterday with both the Manufacturing and Services sectors contracting across Europe did little to reassure the market. There is little data out of Europe today; but, the euro is as unpredictable as ever so call in now for the latest update and the latest news.

A mixed week for the US dollar as risk aversion was the main driver in the market on the back of poor news from China. Data released yesterday revealed that the number of people filing for unemployment insurance fell to the lowest level in 4 years, reaffirming the feeling that the labour market is leading the US economic recovery. Mixed housing data revealed the number of existing home sales fell short of the markets expectation; but, the number of new residential permits rose more than anticipated. More housing data is released today which will provide data on the number of new home sold; any variation from the expected value could cause volatility so call in now for the latest update and a live quote.

Elsewhere, risk aversion drove the market as poor data released from China sparked fears that the world's second largest economy could be slowing down faster than economists had predicted. This negativity was amplified yesterday as worse than expected PMI data was also revealed. The main release today is the Consumer Price Index (CPI) figures from Canada which is expected to show a slight increase. Call in now for the latest news and a live update.

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