Gold Prices Fall Amid Rate Jitters; Copper Steady as China Stimulus Eyed 
The UK gilts slumped Thursday ahead of the 30-year super-long bond auction, scheduled to be held on Thursday. Also, investors will remain focused on the Bank of England (BoE) Governor Philip Lowes’s speech due on February 10.
The yield on the benchmark 10-year gilts, which moves inversely to its price, jumped nearly 2-1/2 basis points to 1.24 percent, the super-long 30-year bond yields also surged nearly 3 basis points to 1.93 percent and the yield on the short-term 2-year edged higher by 2-1/2 basis points to 0.10 percent by 09:10 GMT.
Further, the UK gilts have been closely following developments in oil markets because of their impact on inflation expectations. The International benchmark Brent futures moved higher 0.85 percent to USD55.59 and West Texas Intermediate (WTI) rose 0.82 percent to USD52.77 by 09:40 GMT.
Lastly, investors also wait to note the country’s trade balance and manufacturing production data, besides Bank of England (BoE) Governor Mark Carney’s speech due on February 10.
Meanwhile, the FTSE 100 rose 0.04 percent to 7,192.80 by 09:10 GMT, while at 09:00GMT, the FxWirePro's Hourly Pound Strength Index remained highly bullish at 148.50 (a reading above +75 indicates a bullish trend, while that below -75 a bearish trend). For more details, visit http://www.fxwirepro.com/currencyindex
