The British Pound was slightly higher against the US Dollar, following the release showing stronger activity in the country's construction sector. The GBP/USD added five base points, or 0.04%, up to the 1.3787 level to keep fluctuating in the 1.3785 area.
Construction industry in the UK picked up its activity in the country's purchasing managers' index in February, following a downward move in the prior month. The IHS Markit/CIPS said that the Britain's Construction PMI rose slightly to 51.4 in the reported month, mainly driven by the growth in commercial construction, which had reached its nine-month high; however, uncertainty about Brexit didn't allow UK's PMI to grow to even higher levels.
Historical Data Table: UK Construction PMI m/m | Economic Calendar for 05.03.2018 | ||||||||
Date | 11.02.2017 | 04.12.2017 | 03.01.2018 | 02.02.2018 | 02.03.2018 | 12:00 AM | AUD MI Inflation Gauge m/m | ||
Actual | 50.8 | 53.1 | 52.2 | 50.2 | 51.4 | 9:30 AM | UK Services PMI | ||
Forecast | 48.3 | 51.2 | 51.1 | 52 | 50.5 | 3:00 PM | US ISM Non-Manufact. PMI | ||
Initial Reaction on Main Pairs | SWFX Sentiment Indexes | ||||||||
Open Price | Close Price | % Change | Longs | Shorts | |||||
GBP/USD | 1.37826 | 1.37879 | 0.04% | GBP/USD | 53.82% | 46.18% | |||
EUR/GBP | 0.89086 | 0.89067 | -0.02% | EUR/GBP | 26.55% | 73.45% | |||
GBP/CAD | 1.77089 | 1.77167 | 0.04% | GBP/CAD | 30.54% | 69.46% | |||
GBP/JPY | 145.699 | 145.729 | 0.02% | GBP/JPY | 63.97% | 36.03% |