UK: CBI Distributive Trade Survey - Realized jumps to 4% in July vs. -25% expected

• Retail sector in the UK shows convincing recovery in July.
• GBP/USD pair trades in tight range below 1.2900 on Tuesday.

Retail sales in the UK expanded at a modest pace than in July after contracting sharply in June with the CBI Distributive Trade Survey - Realized jumping to 4% from -37%. This reading beat the market expectation of -25% by a wide margin.

Commenting on the data, “it’s great to see retail sales stabilise this month, but this doesn’t tell the whole story," said Rain Newton-Smith, CBI Chief Economist. "This crisis has created winners and losers within the retail sector and for some businesses the picture remains bleak. The re-opening of non-essential retail was a vital step towards recovery but isn’t a cure-all."

Market reaction

The GBP/USD pair largely ignored this report and was last seen losing 0.05% on a daily basis at 1.2875.