Dear Reader,

Today's overview of economic news and market action:

• Further improvement in investor sentiment yesterday 
• The main equity indices registered gains
• On bond markets, yields showed minimal changes
• Currency-wise, sterling tended to hold the upper hand
• EUR/GBP moved down near 85p GBP/USD traded above $1.29
• Elsewhere, EUR/USD was in and around $1.10
• Key data highlight today is US CPI inflation for June

Economic data, especially on labour markets, have generally surprised to the upside in 2023, though GDP growth was sluggish in Q1.

Global economy still facing considerable headwinds  Central banks remain on rate tightening path, though Fed and ECB appear to be nearing end of their hiking cycle. BoE has further to go, with markets pricing in another 150bps of UK rate hikes

Sterling’s Rally May Be Ending

From a currency viewpoint, one of the biggest surprises over the first half of 2023 has been the strength of sterling. The pound has made gains against the other major currencies including the dollar and the euro.

Strongest deterioration in Irish manufacturing sector performance for over three years in June

Amid ongoing demand weakness, Irish manufacturing firms continued to see a decline in the health of the sector during June.

Good First Innings for Sterling

From a currency viewpoint, one of the biggest surprises over the first half of 2023 has been the strength of sterling