Data helps pound shrug off EU blues

The early departure of Britain's ambassador to the European Union, and the tone of his resignation letter, have added to concerns of a rocky few months in prospect for sterling as Britain prepares formally to launch talks on leaving the bloc. "Other sectors have already predicted increased prices and trimmed forecasts for the months ahead due to a weak pound, but the all-important construction industry seems to have avoided the same fate," said Dennis De Jong, managing director at online cu