US Retail Sales Fall Unexpectedly, along with UK's Hope for Speedy Recovery

USD

The Dollar rallied late Wednesday after US retail sales showed a .4% decline against what was widely anticipated to be a flat outcome. The Dollar had been down most of the session after a report in the Financial Times said that the US could lose its AAA credit rating. However, renewed fears about the state of the economy were sparked by the sales data, pushing safe-haven flows back into the dollar and lifting the USD out of a four month low against a basket of currencies and a seven week slide against the Euro.

At 11:00PM GMT, the Dollar was up .4% to the Euro to 1.3592, down 1.2% to the Japanese Yen to 95.25, up .8% to 1.5152 versus the Sterling, up 1.16% against the Canadian Dollar to 1.1762 and up 1.75% to the Australian Dollar to .7515.

GBP

The Bank of England announced that they expect a slower recovery than originally predicted. The BOE revealed that inflation remains below the target level and that suggests that the loose monetary policy of the BOE will remain in effect for now. The figures showed a 4.5% decrease in economic activity for the second quarter and predict an early 2010 recovery. UK interest rates remain at a record low .5% and the British government recently expanded their asset purchasing program to 125 Billion Pounds, however Mervyn King, the BOE Governor said that the recovery will be slow and uncertain, highlighting this by declaring "We may get a recovery that will prove to be sustained and then again we might not."

At 11:20PM GMT, the Pound Sterling was down .4% to the Euro to .897, down .7% to the Swiss Franc to 1.6769, down 2.1% to the Japanese Yen to 144.33, up .2% to the Canadian Dollar to 1.78 and up .9% to the Australian Dollar to 2.0145.

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