UK: PM To Deliver Update On Middle East Response

AUDUSD (6th Mar) 72.00c, bought for 0.20 and 0.19 in 5.26k total (multiple clips).

Retail sales rose 6.3% Y/Y in January per the Johnson Redbook index, with sales in the final week of the month up 6.7% Y/Y. While the latter was a bit of a slowdown from the 7.1% increase prior, this largely represents a pullback from weather-related purchases (as we had suggested last week would likely be the case). It's also a slowdown from a 36-month best 6.8% in December but nevertheless the index is consistent with very robust retail activity continuing into 2026, including Johnson Redbook's 6.3% Y/Y growth projection for February.

• From the anecdotal portion of the report: "Adverse weather, including freezing temperatures and snowstorms, disrupted traffic on roads and in parking lots, leading to business interruptions and reduced shopping activity. As a result, stores saw lower foot traffic. In February, retailers will introduce new spring merchandise and launch promotions for food, Super Bowl-related products, and Valentine’s Day."
• We get preliminary Chicago CARTS retail sales estimates for January on Friday Feb 6; the "official" Census Bureau report continues to lag following the Oct-Nov government shutdown, as we only get December data on Feb 10 (and there is still no release date for January's report).

• MNI: US REDBOOK: JAN STORE SALES +6.3% V YR AGO MO
• US REDBOOK: STORE SALES +6.7% WK ENDED JAN 31 V YR AGO WK