GBPAUD Exchange Rate

British consumer sentiment improved in April on slowing inflation as well as expectations about further tax cuts, a monthly survey conducted by the market research group GfK revealed Friday. The consumer confidence index rose to -19 in April from -21 in March. The score was also better than economists' forecast of -20.

Consumer prices in Australia were up a seasonally adjusted 1.0 percent on quarter in the first quarter of 2024, the Australian Bureau of Statistics said on Wednesday.

UK retail sales were unchanged on a month-on-month basis in March, defying expectations for a gain, preliminary data from the Office for National Statistics showed Friday. Retail sales including automotive fuel grew 0.1 percent in the previous month. Economists were looking for a 0.3 percent gain for March.

UK consumer price inflation softened less than expected in March but hit the lowest in two-and-a-half years on food prices, adding uncertainty to the timing of the first interest rate cut from the Bank of England. Inflation weakened to 3.2 percent in March from 3.4 percent in February, the Office for National Statistics reported Wednesday.