At 2.00 am ET Friday, the Office for National Statistics releases UK budget balance and retail sales figures. Economists forecast retail sales to advance 1.2 percent on month in December, in contrast to a 3.8 percent fall in November.

Ahead of the data, the pound dipped against its major rivals.

The pound was worth 141.93 against the yen, 1.2125 against the franc, 1.3698 against the greenback and 0.8824 against the euro as of 1:55 am ET.

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