Fx

Pound hits seven-month high versus dollar
Sterling hit a seven-month high against the dollar on Wednesday as the Conservatives continued to lead the polls in the run-up to the general election next week.

FX round-up: Pound little changed despite better-than-expected lending data
Friday saw another sudued session of trading in global foreign exchange markets.

FX round-up: Pound little changed despite polls, Chilean and Colombian peso unloved
The pound was little changed on Thursday, despite the release of poll data predicting a big win for Conservatives at the next general elections and a strong reading on UK consumer confidence.

ECB council pushes Lagarde to overhaul policymaking
The European Central Bank's newly arrived leader Christine Lagarde is facing pressure from the governing council to overhaul how monetary policy is decided and improve the monetary authority's internal decision-making process.

Pound shoots higher as Farage says Brexit party won't stand in Tory seats
Sterling shot higher on Monday after Nigel Farage said the Brexit party will not stand in the 317 seats won by the Conservatives at the 2017 general election, boosting Boris Johnson's chances of success in the upcoming election.

Russian central bank cuts rates by 50 basis points
Rate-setters in Moscow surprised some analysts at the end of the week with a larger than expected reduction in short-term official interest rates.

Pound gains despite postponement of Brexit deal vote
The pound was unfazed by the Speaker of the House, John Bercow's, decision not to allow a "meaningful vote" on the Prime Minister's Brexit proposal to go ahead on Monday, as some observers had correctly anticipated.

Chinese economy grows 6.0% in Q3, slowest pace since early 1990s
China released third-quarter GDP figures on Friday showing the economy grew at its slowest pace since the early 1990s as the trade war with the US took its toll.

BoE's Ramsden continues to expect 'gradual but limited' interest rate hikes
Parliamentary approval of Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Brexit deal proposal would most likely pave the way for interest rate hikes, a top Bank of England policymaker said.

Brexit deal may get through Parliament, Exane says
Traders shied away from pushing Sterling any higher on Thursday despite confirmation that the UK and the European Union had reached an agreement on the terms of the former's withdrawal from the bloc.

FX round-up: Sterling jumps on continued optimism hard Brexit can be avoided
It was a volatile day for Sterling as a succession of contradictory headlines around whether the outlines of a Brexit deal had in fact been agreed or not cascaded across traders' screens throughout the day.

Sterling jumps past 1.28 after report DUP accepts Brexit proposal
Sterling popped back above 1. 28 in afternoon trading following a report that the Northern Irish DUP had accepted the Brexit proposals tabled by Westminster, removing the biggest stumbling block to a deal being approved with the European Union.

UK and EU said to be close to draft legal text on Brexit
Negotiators for the UK and the European Union are close to reaching a draft deal for Britain's withdrawal from the bloc.

Pound rallies as Barnier says Brexit deal possible
Sterling popped higher on Tuesday after the EU's top Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, said a Brexit deal is possible.
FX round-up: Pound slips, but JP Morgan less pessimistic on Brexit talks
Sterling was on its back foot at the start of the week, but only slightly so, as traders tried to gauge the probabilities of a withdrawal deal being reached before 31 October.
Sterling breaches $1.25 as EU's Tusk hails signs of progress on Brexit talks
Sterling hit a three-week high on Friday, rising above the $1. 25 mark after European Council President Donald Tusk said he had received "promising signals" that a Brexit deal was possible.

FX round-up: Volatility spikes as traders sift through Brexit headlines
Thursday proved to be a volatile session for sterling traders, despite the generally 'risk-on' backdrop in financial markets globally following reports that Beijing was still open to a limited trade deal.

Pound spikes briefly higher on latest Brexit twist
The pound was once against buffeted by the ongoing twists in the Brexit negotiations on Wednesday, bouncing back from five-week lows before retreating once again.

Sterling slumps as Brexit deal hopes fade
Sterling tumbled on Tuesday as hopes of a Brexit deal faded, hitting a one-month low against the euro amid reports that Downing Street now deems a deal "essentially impossible".

FX round-up: Pound dips on speculation PM might go to Supreme Court to avoid extension
The pound drifted slightly lower at the start of the week after The Daily Telegraph reported that the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, was ready to go to the Supreme Court in order to avoid having to ask Brussels for another extension if he had not clinched a withdrawal deal by 19 October, as the Benn Act required of him.