The UK as a whole could be heading for more lockdown measures as new Covid cases exceeded 4,000 per day for the first time since May – albeit with more testing now.
Despite this, fatality rates remain low. A two-week “circuit breaker” lockdown, perhaps over the October half term, has been suggested.
In the US, the death of Supreme Court judge, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, sets up a battle as to whether the next choice will be decided before or after the election, not just six weeks away.
Also from the US, Joe Biden has said that the US under his presidency would not sign a trade deal with the UK if the UK Internal Markets Bill goes against long-standing Northern Ireland peace deal, the Good Friday Agreement.
There are no Brexit talks this week – they restart next week – but movements in sterling could come from a worsening Covid situation making lockdown more probable, from two speeches by Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey, and from PMI data out on Wednesday.
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