Sterling falls, gilts up after rise in UK jobless rate

LONDON: Sterling fell to a session low against the dollar and the euro while gilt futures extended gains on Wednesday after the UK jobless rate unexpectedly rose in the three months to December. Sterling fell to $1.6662 after the UK data was released from around $1.6722 beforehand.

The euro was up slightly on the day, having hit a session high of 82.555 pence, from 82.25 pence before the data was released. Earlier, minutes from the Bank of England's latest policy meeting showed policymakers had no disagreement about major changes to the central bank's forward guidance policy.