Germany’s trade surplus shrinking would normally have analysts jumping up and down. However, February’s fall was from a record surplus in January and it still remains well above historical averages.
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Sterling looks set to benefit from a slightly low key start to the week. There aren’t very many landmines leading up to Friday’s GDP numbers, but we know from experience that when markets do move, it can often…
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Markets were a bit more upbeat to begin the week, which helped the pound and the euro gain a touch of momentum against the US dollar. GBP/USD gained around half a cent over the course of Monday, while…
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Sterling starts the week slightly on the backfoot against the euro and US dollar. It’s close to the lowest for the past couple of months, but still over 3% stronger than this time last year against the euro.…
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Friday’s focus was on non-farm payrolls, but an equally significant data point was US unemployment. Joblessness fell from 3.9% to 3.8% in March, which suggested elevated interest rates were doing little to control the exuberance of American companies.
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It’s not often you see a central banker press conference get heated, but that was the case at the ECB’s last meeting as policymakers tried to assert their independence form the Fed. We’re expecting a return to something…
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The UK economy returned to growth in January having previously dipped into a technical recession. This week’s GDP data for February provides another chance to prove it has turned a corner, although growth is by no means assured.
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A new week brings the latest instalment of central banker Springwatch. As markets look to see who will emerge from their interest rate burrows first, there is a distinct focus on inflation and employment, two themes that dictate…
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