Sterling hit a six-week high above $1.30 on Friday, close to its highest levels in nine months, on bets that British interest rates could be hiked in the coming months. The pound has risen around 3.5 percent against the dollar since the start of April -- its best quarterly performance in two years and its second straight quarter of gains after six successive losses. On a trade-weighted basis, too, sterling was on track for its best performance since the second quarter of 2015. It has also been boosted by rising expectations that monetary policy could be tightened. "With UK domestic political uncertainty now dissipating somewhat, the focus is likely to turn to headlines surrounding the Brexit negotiations, as well as monetary policy developments," said IronFX analyst Charalambos Pissouros.

Source: dna June 30, 2017 08:15 UTC