• Russian central bank bought around $1.5 bln on forex yesterday to check rouble appreciation. Bought at least another $700 mln today. Moved intervention bid level to 35.60 from 35.65
  • Russia’s Deputy Economy Minister: Rouble may strengthen to 26-27 per dollar due to high oil prices and capital inflows
  • BOJ’s Nishimura: World economy unlikely to suffer big double dip. However Japan and global economy facing a bumpy road on the way to recovery
  • Bank of England voted unanimously 9-0 to keep rates at 0.5%, QE at £175 bln
  • UK CBI manufacturing order book balance -51 in October from -48 in September, weaker than median forecast of -45. Output expectations balance however came in at +4 from previous -2, the highest read since March 2008. And quarterly business situation balance popped nicely to +10 from -16, highest read since April 2007

Its all been about sterling this morning. Cable is up at 1.6570 from early 1.6425, while EUR/GBP is down at .9015 from early .9085.

There was evident relief right from the get go that Mervyn King hadn’t mentioned anything about a QE extension in his Edinburgh speech Tuesday night. Some even found succour in comments he made to the Glasgow Herald, that rates are currently “extremely low” and will normalise “at some point.” Interesting, but UK rates are going to stay low for a long time yet, in my humble opinion.

Sterling extended it’s rally when the BOE minutes were released showing a unanimous vote in favor of keeping rates/QE on hold at the last MPC meet.

One thing certainly underpinning sterling was talk of an oil company with ongoing interest to buy cable this week for dividend purposes. Talk has it that the company has to buy up to £500 mln each day between 07:00 GMT and 13:00 GMT, through next Monday.

There has also been talk of Asian central bank buying, but on a day like today when it’s been almost one-way traffic (albeit not quite), it’s a case of who hasn’t been buying. Talk now of sell orders starting at 1.6590 up through 1.6650.

EUR/USD sits at 1.4935, where it sat 7 hours ago. An early rally failed to trigger stops up at 1.4975/80 and subsequent heavy selling of the EUR/GBP cross (down at .9015 from early .9085) slowly took it’s toll. Sell orders in EUR/USD still seen up at 1.4980 thru 1.5010, stops just above there.

USD/JPY slightly firmer, up at 90.90 from early 90.65, but so far well-touted Japanese exporter sell orders at 91.00 have blocked the path north. Talk of stops gathering around 91.20. Buy orders seen down at 90.40 through 90.00.