英镑上涨是因为销售数据变好了

	下面是一个英文的报道。主要是说英镑上涨是因为英国的10月份的销售数据变好了。 British Pound Stays Higher Against Euro; U.K. Retail Sales Resume Growth Nov. 2 (Bloomberg) -- The pound rose to its strongest in seven days against the euro after a report showed U.K. retail sales resumed their gains in October, fuelling speculation the U.K. currency reflects too much pessimism about the country's growth outlook. Sales resumed their growth last month after falling for the first time in 18 months in September, the Confederation of British Industry said. Thirty-seven percent of the 200 companies surveyed said sales this month rose from a year ago, while 26 percent reported a fall, pushing the CBI's retail sales index to its highest since July. ``We don't think there's going to be much more downside for sterling,'' said Philip Shaw, chief economist at Investec Securities Ltd. in London. ``The world economy isn't on a decisive down swing and the Bank of England may have some unfinished business,'' said Shaw, who expects the central bank to lift the main rate by 25 basis points to 5 percent next year. Against the euro, the pound rose as high as 69.25 pence per euro, its strongest since Oct. 22. The U.K. currency was at 69.27 pence by 11:50 a.m. London time from 69.55 pence late yesterday. It also traded at $1.8342 from $1.8326. The pound has shed 1.2 percent against the common currency since Oct. 1 as reports showed house price inflation is cooling, prompting speculation the Bank of England will leave its key interest rate unchanged this year. U.K. manufacturing growth unexpectedly accelerated in October, a survey of purchasing managers showed yesterday. `Soft Landing' ``There's not a case for doom and gloom in the U.K. economy,'' said Nitin Agarwal, an interest-rate strategist at Morgan Stanley & Co. in London. ``We seem to be heading for a soft landing as the housing market cools and that is a very strong statement on the central bank's policy.'' Economists expect the U.K. central bank to leave its main interest rate on hold for a third month when policy makers meet on Nov. 3-4, according to a Bloomberg survey. The U.K. central bank has raised the key rate five times since November, to 4.75 percent, to curb inflation as consumers spent against the rising value of their homes. ``The market's gone a long way betting on rates staying on hold and is moving as if every piece of data is going to be weak,'' said John Davies, a bond analyst at West LB AG in London. Traders are ``ignoring the risk of further rate hikes,'' he said. Oil Prices The pound also gained as crude oil futures traded close to a four-week low in New York, easing concern that rising energy prices will crimp the pace of global growth. Crude oil for December delivery fell 22 cents, or 0.4 percent, to $49.91 a barrel in after-hours electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. ``It's only really if domestic demand starts to improve that things can look any better for sterling,'' said Paul Robson, a currency strategist at Royal Bank of Scotland Plc in London. ``For the time being things aren't looking good, though there would have to be a sharp deterioration in the data for sterling to fall much further.'' A survey of purchasing managers showed growth in the U.K. construction industry slowed more than expected in October. The index, compiled by NTC Research Ltd. for the Chartered Institute of Purchasing & Supply and Reuters Group Plc., fell to 55.0 from 56.8 in September, lower than the 56.2 expected by economists in a Bloomberg survey. U.K. shop prices slid 1.4 percent in October from a year ago, their biggest drop since the index began in 1997, the British Retail Consortium said in a separate report. Shop prices fell for the first time since April 2003, after gaining 0.4 percent in September.