Sterling had a mixed day, pushing close to an 18 month high against the euro whilst weakening off against the US dollar as figures released showed that the change in the price of goods and raw materials purchased by manufacturers increased by more than the markets predicted. Data from the UK this week includes retail sales, Consumer Price Index (CPI) figures, the number of new people claiming unemployment benefits and the minutes from the last Bank of England meeting. Call in now for the latest news and a live quote.

The euro had a poor day on Friday weakening off against the majority of currencies as data released showed that Spanish banks borrowed almost double the amount of money from the ECB in March compared to February; this was a new record high and sent the benchmark Spanish bond yields back up towards 6%. Poor industrial production figures from Italy did little to help matters highlighting that many European economies remain in recession. This week, German Information and Forschung (Ifo) business climate sentiment and Zentrum fur Europaische Wirtschaftsforschung (ZEW) economic sentiment will be released; furthermore, euro zone wide trade balance figures are released today. The main focus though, will still remain on Spain and any developments could move the market significantly so call in now for an update and a live quote.

The US dollar performed well on Friday strengthening against the majority of currencies as fears surrounding the global economy meant the “safe haven” currency was bought up by investors. Mixed data showed that consumer confidence was lower than markets had anticipated whilst core CPI figures came in as expected. This week, the focus will be on retail sales, manufacturing and housing data so call in now for the latest news and a live quote.

Elsewhere, data from China showed that GDP figures were worse than expected, this continued deceleration in growth caused renewed fears of a global economic slowdown. Data this week includes the first quarter CPI figures from New Zealand, the Bank of Canada’s interest rate decision and the Reserve Bank of Australia’s minutes from the last policy meeting. Call in now for the latest news and a live quote.

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