- Pound (GBP) is rose for a third straight day
- UK retail sales rose 1% MoM
- Euro (EUR) falls for a second straight week
- German PPI rose 0.2% MoM
The Pound Euro (GBP/EUR) exchange rate rose for a third straight day on Friday. The pair rose 0.27% in the previous session, settling on Friday at €1.1934 and trading in a range between €1.191 and €1.1938. The pair rose 0.7% across the week, its second straight weekly gain,
The pound is rising for a third straight day against the euro and is on track to book its second straight weekly rise after a busy week.
On the economic calendar, data today showed that UK retail sales were stronger than expected. Retail sales rose 1% month on month in August after falling 0.2% in July, pointing to a resilient consumer even as interest rates remain elevated.
This week, the Bank of England left interest rates unchanged at 5% after cutting rates from a 15-year high in August. The Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey warned that the central bank is in no rush to start cutting interest rates. That decision came after data this week showed that headline inflation was at 2.2%, but service section inflation remains stickier at 5.6%.
Looking ahead to next week, attention is turning to business activity data, which will be released on Monday and could give further insight into how business activity in the UK is holding up, specifically in the service and manufacturing sectors.
The euro is falling for a second straight day and continues to weaken for a second week amid expectations that the ECB will apply deeper rate cuts than the Bank of England over the coming months.
Data on Friday showed that German wholesale inflation was slightly hotter than expected, rising 0.2% month on month in line with the previous month but a touch higher than the 0.1% forecast.
Looking ahead, attention turns to PMI data next week. Investors will be watching closely to see whether the German economy is showing any signs of improving.
