IN THE UK
- GBP/USD
falls to fresh 9 month low
- Sterling
briefly rises after stronger 4th Quarter GDP data.
- Sterling
stays pressured on weak UK outlook
IN THE US
- Dollar
rises after 4th Quarter GDP data
- Oil
rebounds on weaker dollar
- Gold
prices rise as dollar declines
IN THE EU
- GBP/EUR falls to low of 1.1099
- Euro loses ground to dollar
after stronger US GDP data
- Euro-zone inflation edges
higher
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Current Spot Rates (9.15am)
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USD
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EUR
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AUD
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CAD
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JPY
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SEK
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ZAR
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GBP
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1.5147
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1.1099
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1.6842
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1.5901
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135.176
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10.81
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11.58
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USD
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1.3642
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1.1119
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1.0499
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89.242
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7.13
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7.65
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Sterling
Sterling
fell against the dollar and euro on Friday after better-than-expected fourth
quarter GDP data failed to offset persistent worries over the health of the UK
economy.
The
pound initially rose after the Office for National Statistics said economic
output grew more than forecast in the final three months of 2009 but turned
down as traders focused on a downward revision to the estimate for year-on-year
growth.
The
ONS revised its estimate of fourth-quarter GDP to 0.3 percent from an initial
0.1 percent.
However,
it revised its estimate of the year-on-year contraction to 3.3 percent from 3.2
percent.
Despite
strong denials from Germany that they have agreed to bail out Greece the
general consensus that eventually a bailout for Greece will be finalised.
With
Greece becoming old news the spotlight is now on sterling which is falling
sharply trading as low as 1.1112 this morning. The possibility of a hung
parliament is also pressurizing the pound and pushing it lower.
Dollar
The
Greenback gained strength and rose moderately across the board after
better-than-expected data on US GDP. EUR/USD fell to test a support zone around
1.3550. GBP/USD is trading at fresh 9-month low below 1.5200.
Also
against currencies tied to commodities the Dollar rose but is still far from
daily highs.
USD/CAD
rose to test the 1.0600 zone. AUD/USD fell below 0.8900. The rally of the
Dollar across the board was moderate on Friday.
The
Yen also gained ground across the board and rose after GDP data, even against
the Dollar.
USD/JPY
retreat after finding resistance at 89.25 and currently trades below 89.10.
Euro
The
euro lost ground against the dollar on Friday after preliminary data showed the
U.S. economy grew 5.9 percent in the fourth quarter, slightly higher than the
government's first estimate.
Final
data out on Friday showed the euro-zone's inflation rate inched up to an
11-month high in
January,
but should still leave the European Central Bank plenty of room to keep
interest rates at very low levels to support the economic recovery.
Inflation
accelerated to 1% on a year-to-year basis in January from 0.9% in December
largely due to a jump in energy prices, the European Union's Eurostat agency
said.
However,
the headline rate, which was in line with the preliminary reading and the
market consensus estimate from a Dow Jones Newswires survey, remains well below
the ECB's medium-term target of just below 2%.
On
a monthly basis, the consumer price index dropped 0.8% in January, the sharpest
fall since January last year and slightly more than the 0.7% fall expected by
economists. Euro-zone consumer prices rose 0.3% month-to-month in December