Sterling blips up after UK retail sales

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Sterling blips up after UK retail sales

, Reuters - 3:14 AM ET 3/28/2025 default

GDANSK, March 28 (Reuters) - The pound briefly rose on Friday after UK data showed retail sales were surprisingly strong in February, offering some optimism about the resilience of the consumer, while economic growth met expectations in the fourth quarter.

British retail sales unexpectedly rose in February when they grew by a monthly 1.0% from January, figures from the Office for National Statistics showed on Friday. Reuters poll of economists had pointed to a monthly fall of 0.4% in sales volumes.

Sterling blipped to a session high of $1.295 after the data, before retreating to $1.2944, showing little change on the day. The euro was last down 0.1% against the pound at 83.34, showing little change from levels traded before the data.

The UK economy expanded 0.1% in the fourth quarter, the ONS said in a separate release, as economists polled by Reuters had expected. On an annual basis, growth expanded by 1.5%, compared with forecasts for an increase of 1.4%.

(Reporting by Amanda Cooper; Editing by Alun John)

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