Sterling gained some support during Tuesday from speculation that talks between the government and Labour Party were making progress.

The dollar continued to move lower on Tuesday with month-end positioning pressures having some negative impact. Sterling posted notable gains on month-end factors.

Confidence in the Euro-zone outlook and Euro was boosted by stronger than expected first quarter GDP data with EUR/USD above 1.1200.

The US S&P 500 index posted a fresh record high on Tuesday while market holidays in Asia curbed equity-market activity on Wednesday.

Risk appetite recovered from a brief setback with a lack of defensive support for gold and the Swiss franc.

Oil prices surrendered gains after a larger than expected API inventory build as violent clashes and coup speculation in Venezuela contributed to volatile trading.

Sterling gained some support during Tuesday from speculation that talks between the government and Labour Party were making progress. There were, however, no substantive developments with reports that the talks needed to conclude by the middle of next week. The government will be under increasing pressure to take action in order to avoid holding European elections later this month. There was also further speculation that Conservative Party activists would force a no-confidence vote in Prime Minister May with the party expected to lose a substantial number of seats in Thursday’s local elections.

The UK currency also gained an element of support from increased optimism over the European and global growth outlook.

Month-end positioning often drags Sterling lower but flows provided net currency support this time around. GBP/USD pushed to highs near 1.3050 while GBP/EUR rallied to just above 1.1600. The UK currency held steady on Wednesday ahead of the manufacturing PMI data with market expectations of a slowdown for the April data.

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