A busier day for markets with plenty of announcements throughout the day, with the US data being the most significant.

The EUR/USD continues to trade in the $1.19 range, where it currently sits at $1.196. There has not been much in the way of news or data that would cause the currencies to shift, although that may change later in the week with a Fed Reserve meeting slated-in for Thursday. The pound is continuing its strong performance against the USD, with the GBP/USD pairing trading at $1.3519.

Major US stocks ended the session up overnight as markets see less chance of a rate hike. The Dow posted its fifth straight record close of 22,331.35, up 63.01 points or 0.28%. Meanwhile, Europe finished up right across the board. The FTSE, after being hammered over the last couple of days has bounced back, up 37.81 points (+0.52%) to 7,253.28. The DAX also made modest gains, up 40.58 points (+0.32%) to 12,559.39.

Gold continues its slide as investors pull money out of the precious metal and ploughing it into equities. Gold has dropped around $30 in the last few days, where it currently sits at $1,312.20.

Turning to announcements and the most significant data being released today is the US Building Permits figure. This figure reflects the strength of the housing sector as the figure is an indication of new residential building permits. These new permits help the construction industry to remain strong and a good figure reflects consumer’s willingness to spend money.

Also set for release today:

Australia – Monetary Policy Meeting Minutes, HPI

Europe – Current Account, German ZEW Economic Sentiment, European ZEW Economic Sentiment

US – Current Account, Housing Starts, Import Prices

Canada – Manufacturing Sales