What's coming up? With things still creeping along in a Christmas haze, the supply of new economic data remains thin today, giving more weight to what few releases are set for publication. The UK’s only fresh ecostat is this morning’s British Bankers’ Association (BBA) mortgage approvals data for November, which is expected to show a slight drop on the previous month. With the outlook on the economy still uncertain, as consumer confidence wavers in the face of rising inflation and the potential for interest rates to increase, a weakening number of mortgage approvals could add to fears that consumers are becoming more reluctant to make large purchases. High street shopping figures for yesterday’s sales are likely to add to this air of uncertainty, after footfall was shown to be down -4.5% on the previous year. While this is partly due to a change in behaviours, as consumers stay at home and buy online instead of heading out to the shops, the fall in footfall is bigger than retail analysts had expected. Meanwhile, the euro has little other than Spanish retail sales data for November - which has already been released - to influence it from a data point of view. As sales showed a larger-than-expected growth rate of 2% - versus forecasts of 0.6% - EUR could receive some support throughout the session. Things are more exciting in the US, with today's headline figure being the consumer confidence index for December. A slight weakening is forecast, which doesn't bode well for the biggest time of year in terms of retail and consumer spending. Also on the calendar will be the Conference Board present situation and expectations indices for December and pending home sales figures for November. We’re here to talk currency whenever you need us, so get in touch if you want to know more about the latest news or how it could impact your currency transfers. | 
