Now for the hard bit!

At the start of this week, MPs in the UK were probably thinking a Brexit deal was unlikely and an Article 50 extension was probable, followed by a general election and continued uncertainty. This morning, against the odds perhaps, there’s a deal on the table and the chance to “get this thing done” to quote Boris (i.e. the UK formally leave the EU on 31st October), followed by an election with Brexit ‘settled’ for now. We know the DUP are not onside, but the question is will enough MPs (e.g. ex-Tory rebels and would-be Labour dissenters) now be persuaded to support the government on Saturday. We’ll have to wait and see

Sterling remains close to its intra-week highs against both the euro and the dollar this morning, trading at around 86.5p and close to $1.29 respectively. It’s probably safe to say, if Parliament votes for the deal on Saturday, the pound will likely extend this week’s gains; if Parliament votes against, it will likely reverse some of this week’s gains

The euro has extended its recent gains against the dollar to trade at over $1.11 this morning, probably helped by the Brexit deal been struck. Meanwhile, bond yields in the core markets are largely unchanged, while stocks were mixed yesterday with US equities marginally higher and European indices losing a little ground

Retail sales volumes in the UK were flat in September but over the three months to September rose by 0.6%, the same pace of growth as in the 2nd quarter (i.e. three months to June)

Economic data is very light today with little of note due