U.K. Construction PMI Rose More Than Expected In March

U.K. Construction PMI Actual 30.9, Expected 27.6, Previous 27.8

Release Explanation: The activity level of Purchase Managers, they are surveyed on production, employment, inventories, orders, delivery data. The PMI is split into reads on Manufacturing, Service, and Construction industries. A read over 50 denotes growth. As an indicator of economic performance the PMI has the ability to easily affect currency valuations as Institutions re-align existing positions, or build new, on the strength of these reports.

Trade Desk Thoughts: March’s U.K. Construction PMI rose more than expected, after last month the index fell to an all-time low. The U.K. Construction PMI was released at 30.9, while analysts forecasted a 27.6 read.

Despite this month’s positive read, almost every sub-index of the release still points to a severe slowdown, as the British construction market has tumbled for more than a year. At this point, the housing market is experiencing the lack of credit and liquidity in the market, despite the huge rate cuts made by the BoE. Analysts say that the bottom in the construction sector is still far away.

Forex Technical Reaction: The pound had a weak reaction to the news release. Since the new trading day started, the pound rose 110 pips, to reach the 100-day moving average

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