The British pound rose from a two-month low after campaigning for next week's so-called Brexit vote next week was suspended following the murder on Thursday of UK member of parliament Jo Cox, who was a vocal advocate for Britain to stay in the European Union.
Sterling and bond yields rose on Friday as traders tried to assess whether the killing of a pro-European Union British lawmaker may change the balance of opinions in Britain's upcoming referendum on EU membership.
The pound GBP= was last up 1.06 percent against the dollar at $1.4350, after reaching a one-week high of $1.4387 on Friday. On Thursday, it hit a low of $1.4010.
U.S. benchmark Treasury yields rose for the first time in nearly two weeks as investor fears of a British exit from the EU eased somewhat.
U.S. housing starts slipped in May as the construction of multi-family housing units dropped, but further gains in building permits signaled a rebound that would support economic growth in the second quarter.
Groundbreaking fell 0.3 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual pace of 1.16 million units, the Commerce Department said on Friday. May's decline followed a 4.9 percent surge in April. Building permits rose 0.7 percent to a 1.14-million unit rate in May.
China's home prices rose at a faster pace in May, supported by quicker growth in second-tier cities and a broader recovery in smaller cities.
The recovery in China's property market since late last year has been a rare bright spot in the world's second-largest economy, which has been slowing amid weak demand at home and abroad, cooling investment and excess industrial capacity.
The British pound rose from a two-month low after campaigning for next week's so-called Brexit vote next week was suspended following the murder on Thursday of UK member of parliament Jo Cox, who was a vocal advocate for Britain to stay in the European Union.
Crude oil prices rose on Friday for the first time in seven days as markets took a breather from concerns about the impact of Britain's possible exit from the European Union.
Brent crude futures were up 59 cents, or 1.3 percent, at $47.78 a barrel at 0143 GMT after slumping 3.6 percent in the previous session. The contract is on track to fall nearly 5.5 percent for the week.
U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures rose 37 cents, or 0.8 percent, to $46.58. The contract fell 3.8 percent in the previous session and prices are down around 5 percent so far this week.
British police said on Saturday they had charged a 52-year-old man in the slaying of lawmaker Jo Cox, and said the
Prime Minister David Cameron has agreed to recall parliament on Monday in tribute to Cox, who was considered an outstanding member of the new intake of Labour parliamentarians. She had been a prominent aid worker.
Both sides have put their
Reference: Reuters, The News
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