Market Focus

On Friday, February 16, 2018, attention should be paid to the data on retail sales in the UK. The retail sales figure is an important indicator of consumer spending, which also characterizes consumer confidence and is seen as an indicator of the pace of the UK economy.

• According to the forecast, the volume of retail sales in January rose by 1.5%, against the decline of the previous month at -1.5%, in annual terms the indicator will be 0.9%, against the previous value at 1.4%.
• The base retail sales index in January will change by 0.0%, against December at 1.6%, on an annualized basis, the indicator will grow by 1.0%, which is lower than the previous value at 1.3%.

The release of data within the forecast will support the pound, against which one should expect the growth of the British currency within 40-50 points against the competitors.

Alexander Sivtsov