Strengthening of the US dollar

Meanwhile, across the pond in the US, markets were keenly focussed on President elect Donald Trump’s press conference. His speech was mostly centred around healthcare and intelligence issues, and the only mention of note for financial markets was a hint at a proposed border tax on companies leaving the UK.

The Greenback continues to gain value as the Federal Reserve are forecasted to increase interest rates three times in 2017. Inflation is also predicted to pick up and give the economy a much-needed boost.

Markets await Fed speeches

The blip in US employment numbers released on Friday seems to have been overlooked by the markets as they now focus their attentions on further economic data. They include jobless claims, consumer confidence data and most notably, speeches by Fed Members Lockhart, Bullard, Harker and Kaplan. Meanwhile, from the Eurozone, we are expecting minutes from the European Central Bank meeting held in December.

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