Reuters

Sterling steadied just above $1.32 on Thursday, having pulled away from a one-year high the previous day, as traders waited for clues from the Bank of England on whether it might soon lift interest rates from record lows.

China posted a rare flurry of disappointing data on Thursday suggesting the world’s second-largest economy is finally starting to lose some momentum as borrowing costs rise.

Australia’s jobs blew past expectations to surge the most in two years in August, yet unemployment was static as more people looked for work, limiting upward pressure on wages, inflation and interest rates.

The U.S. dollar’s rally paused on Thursday as traders waited for consumer inflation data later in the day for clues on whether the Federal Reserve will maintain its gradual pace of credit tightening.

Gold edged down on Thursday to its lowest in nearly two weeks on waning risk aversion, and as the dollar steadied ahead of U.S. consumer inflation data that could offer clues on the timing of further interest rate hikes.

Asian stocks inched down from 10-year highs on Thursday following a burst of Chinese data which was largely weaker than markets expected, while the dollar held steady ahead of U.S. inflation data due later in the day.

The dollar steadied on Wednesday, with traders wary of taking new positions on the currency ahead of inflation data due on Thursday.

Britain’s top share index dropped on Wednesday as sterling held at a one-year high, weighing on the FTSE’s foreign-earning firms including miners, pharma stocks and big consumer staples.

The dollar was buoyant against the yen on Wednesday, although it was capped against the euro with a potentially supportive spike in U.S. yields neutralized by a similar move by their German counterparts.

Asian stocks wobbled on Wednesday but still marked a 10-year high, cheered by record highs on Wall Street, while shares of Apple Inc’s suppliers dipped following the release of the latest iPhone.