Personal Finance
FX round-up: Sterling rises on hearty UK retail sales as inflation, possible BoE rate rise lurk
Sterling ticked higher on most major crosses Thursday thanks to better-than-expected UK retail sales figures for February, with rising inflation and a possible Bank of England (BoE) interest rate hike lurking in the background.
London close: FTSE gains on clothing retailers after improved UK shop-sales data
Equities in London rose to a positive close with the FTSE 100 enjoying a rise after UK retail sales for February came in stronger than expected and helped both clothes-related retailers and sterling higher.
US new home sales rise more than expected in February
Sales of new US single-family homes rose more than expected in February, according to official data released on Thursday.
UK state pension age should rise to 70, government review recommends
Almost six million UK citizens currently aged under 30 could see their pension age rise as high as 70, if recommendations in two government reports published on Thursday are taken up.
Retail sales remain below seasonal trends, CBI finds
Retail sales picked up more than expected up until mid-March, the CBI found in a monthly Distributive Trades survey that backed up earlier official figures but did not fill economic experts with much optimism.
UK retail sales bounce back firmly after three-month lull
UK retail sales in February proved much stronger than the market was expecting, sending sterling surging higher on Thursday but unlikely to prevent GDP growth from slowing in the first quarter.