The pound is still at strong levels against the euro and the dollar but has dipped slightly after strengthening yesterday. Overall, sterling was not affected by softer-than-expected inflation figures as expectations remain for a rate hike from the Bank of England this year.
Reports from yesterday have announced that the UK has agreed a free trade deal with New Zealand. Less than 0.2% of UK trade is done with New Zealand, however, the government hopes this is a step towards other deals with the likes of the US and Japan.
CBI industrial trends and business optimism figures will be released for the UK later this morning. The Industrial Trends Survey tracks changes in the level of factory orders from around 500 companies, whilst the Business Optimism Index is a survey of around 400 companies on their general business situation.
