A somewhat quiet night for announcements, as far as Thursday’s go. There is however, still some significant data releases.

The EUR/USD opened at $1.16613 and climbed throughout early and mid-session to a high of $1.17138. Those gains were quickly given up as the pair sunk to lows of $1.16487 a matter of hours later. It mounted a spirited comeback, but could not erase all of those losses and is currently trading at $1.16757. The GBP/USD endured larger swings yesterday after opening at $1.31458. The pair remained flat early before rallying to a high of $1.32141. Like the euro, the pound tanked to a low of $1.30955 a couple of hours later. The pound rebounded somewhat, regaining some of those losses and is currently trading at $1.31394.

The Dow once again remained strong after opening at 26,283.65. The index remained steady throughout earl and mid-session trading, dipping to a low of 26,231.69 before taking off and rallying to a high of 26,471.58 a few hours later. It held onto the vast majority of those gains and is not far off those highs this morning, trading at 26,455.30. The Dax performed strongly, helped in part by the rallying Dow. The German index opened at 12,170.29 and dipped to lows of 12,154.10 early in the session. The Dax traded in a tight range for a few hours before climbing to a high of 12,240.90 late, then closed at 12,222.60.

The day ahead sees the release of the UK Retail Sales figure, this being the most significant piece of information published today. The figure posted last month was a growth of 0.7%, but expectations this month are for a -0.2% contraction. This represents a big turnaround in the space of a month. This is an announcement that traders should keep an eye on. Other data set for release today includes:

Australia – RBA Bulletin

Canada – ADP Non-Farm Employment Change

NZ – Visitor Arrivals

US – Philly Fed Manufacturing Index, Unemployment Claims, CB Leading Index, Existing Home Sales, Natural Gas Storage

Europe – Swiss SNB Monetary Policy Assessment, Trade Balance & Libor Rate, European Consumer Confidence, German Buba President Jens Weidmann speaks