The euro rose against the U.S. dollar on the background data on the U.S. housing market . Data from the National Association of Realtors showed that home sales in the secondary market fell in January by 5.1 % to a seasonally adjusted annual rate reached 462 thousand add that recent decline was the fifth in the last six months , lowering the annual rate to its lowest level in 18 months. Economists had forecast that sales in January to fall to the level of 4.73 million units, compared to 4.87 million in December. Compared with the same period last year, sales were also down by 5.1%. " Last deterioration was only partly due to the cold weather ," said Lawrence Yun , chief economist for the National Association of Realtors . Sales fell in all four regions of the U.S. , but the biggest drop was seen in the West - in the warmest region . Furthermore, the expert added that other factors are likely to have a slowdown in the housing market , including a shortage of properties for sale , higher prices than a year earlier , rising mortgage rates and rising insurance premiums from flooding.

The yen fell against the dollar, which , in part, was associated with a protocol of the meeting of 21-22 January . They showed that the members of the Board of the Bank of Japan 's monetary policy predict that the country's economic recovery will continue. The Council added that the risks to the recovery remain , especially from commodity exporters, the European debt situation and the pace of recovery in the U.S.. Council members also said that inflation seems to be growing, making progress in the completion of a long period of deflation. Meanwhile , we add that the growth forecasts by the central bank for fiscal year 2013 unchanged at 2.7 percent, while the forecast for 2014 fiscal year has been revised downward to 1.4 percent from 1 , 5 percent. Gross domestic product is forecast to grow at a steady pace in 2015 - at the level of 1.5 percent. Inflation forecast of the Bank of Japan also remained unchanged. Core CPI is estimated to increase by 0.7 percent in fiscal 2013 and 3.3 percent in fiscal year 2014 . The rate of inflation will be moderate - at 2.6 percent in fiscal year 2014 .

European stocks climbed, extending a third consecutive weekly gain, as the Stoxx Europe 600 Index rose to its highest level in six years.

The Stoxx 600 rose 0.4 percent to 336.09 at the close of trading, for a 0.8 percent weekly gain. The gauge has rallied 5.8 percent since Feb. 4 as Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen’s pledge to continue her predecessor’s approach to stimulus policy fueled optimism that the U.S. economic recovery can withstand reduced monthly bond purchases.

National benchmark indexes climbed in 16 of 18 western-European market today. Germany’s DAX gained 0.4 percent, France’s CAC 40 added 0.6 percent and the U.K.’s FTSE 100 advanced 0.4 percent.

Vodafone rose 3 percent to 236.5 pence. The telecommunications company’s adjusted valuation after the disposal of its stake in Verizon Wireless may make it an attractive target for AT&T Inc., according to UBS analyst Nick Lyall. AT&T said on Jan. 27 it does not plan to make an offer for the U.K. wireless carrier, meaning it can’t offer to buy a stake of 30 percent or more in Vodafone for the following six months, according to U.K. takeover rules.

Valeo added 13 percent to 99.07 euros, its highest price since 1998, after saying earnings before interest, taxes and other expenses rose 16 percent to 411 million euros ($564 million) in the second half of 2013. That beat the 375 million-euro average of three analyst estimates compiled by Bloomberg.

Technip SA rose 2.5 percent to 71.74 euros, capping its largest two-day increase since May 2009. Societe Generale SA upgraded its rating on the stock to buy from neutral, saying Europe’s largest oilfield-services provider may begin to reduce costs as it introduces tighter controls on spending.

Kering SA slipped 2.3 percent to 151.45 euros. Sales at the Gucci brand, which made up about 37 percent of total revenue in 2013, rose 0.2 percent in the final three months of last year, according to a statement. That was the slowest quarterly growth in four years and trailed the 0.8 percent increase projected by analysts. Kering said recurring operating income fell to 1.75 billion euros in 2013 from 1.79 billion euros a year earlier. Analysts had predicted 1.77 billion euros.

West Texas Intermediate crude declined on the New York Mercantile Exchange, paring a sixth consecutive weekly gain. Brent also slipped, narrowing a gain for the week.

WTI for April delivery dropped 56 cents, or 0.5 percent, to $102.19 a barrel at 10:50 a.m. on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The volume of all futures traded was 27 percent below the 100-day average. Crude is up 1.9 percent this week and 10 percent in the past six weeks.

Brent for April settlement slipped 48 cents, or 0.4 percent, to $109.82 on the London-based ICE Futures Europe exchange. Prices are up 0.7 percent this week. Trading was 37 percent lower than the 100-day average. The European benchmark crude was traded at $7.63 premium to WTI, little changed from $7.55 yesterday.

WTI is set for the longest run of weekly gains in a year with supplies falling at Cushing and cold weather bolstering fuel demand. The opening of the Keystone XL pipeline’s southern link in January eased a bottleneck in the central U.S.

WTI may fall next week as stockpiles expand, a Bloomberg survey shows. Twenty-three of 28 analysts and traders, or 82 percent, said futures will decrease through Feb. 28. Four respondents expected prices to gain while one forecast there will be little change.

Gold prices driven down by increasing the dollar, but to grow the third consecutive week as investors see an unstable global economic growth .

According to preliminary index PMI, manufacturing activity and employment in China declined in February , but the activity in the U.S. manufacturing grew at the fastest pace in nearly four years .

Manufacturing activity in China - the largest consumer of gold in the world - fell to seven-week low in February , as evidenced by a preliminary purchasing managers' index (PMI) for the manufacturing , calculated by HSBC. The data suggest that the economy may weaken, while the focus of the government is more steady, though slower economic growth.

Dollar to a basket of major currencies rose from previously marked minimum of eight weeks.

Margins on gold bullion stable in Hong Kong and Singapore , but declined due to the growth in Tokyo futures.

Stocks of the world's largest exchange-traded fund backed by gold ETF SPDR Gold Trust on Thursday fell 0.7 percent .

The cost of the April gold futures on the COMEX today dropped to $ 1315.90 per ounce.

U.S. stock futures rose, as Hewlett-Packard Co. and Priceline.com Inc. results topped estimates and investors awaited housing data.

Global markets:

Nikkei 14,865.67 +416.49 +2.88%

Hang Seng 22,568.24 +174.16 +0.78%

Shanghai Composite 2,113.69 -25.09 -1.17%

FTSE 6,825.69 +12.70 +0.19%

CAC 4,365.92 +10.43 +0.24%

DAX 9,626.25 +7.40 +0.08%

Crude oil $102.51 (-0.23%)

Gold $1322.90 (+0.46%).

USD/JPY Y101.30, 101.80, Y102.00, Y103.00, Y103.50, Y103.90, Y104.05, Y105.00

EUR/USD $1.3600, $1.3700, $1.3720/25, $1.3750, $1.3800, $1.3825, $1.3875

GBP/USD $1.6540-50, $1.6600, $1.6700

EUR/GBP stg0.8150, stg0.8175, stg0.8190-95, stg0.8200, stg0.8245, stg0.8280, stg0.8320

AUD/USD $0.8810, $0.8950, $0.9050, $0.9075

AUD/JPY Y92.50, Y92.95, Y93.00

USD/CAD C$1.1050, C$1.1100, C$1.1130/35

Data

00:00 G20 G20 Meetings

09:30 United Kingdom Retail Sales (MoM) January +2.6% -0.9% -1.5%

09:30 United Kingdom Retail Sales (YoY) January +5.3% +5.0% +4.3%

09:30 United Kingdom PSNB, bln January 9.0 Revised From 10.4 -9.3 -6.4

The euro exchange rate fell slightly against the dollar , due to the anticipation of the publication of data on housing sales in the U.S. secondary market . According to the median forecast of economists today the U.S. National Association of Realtors announced a reduction in the January sales on the secondary market . Expected to drop to 4.73 million annualized and seasonally adjusted . In December, sales totaled 4.87 million main reason for possible bad statisticians call very cold weather in January , which forced many construction projects get up and slow down the already existing sites . Moreover, high mortgage rates and housing prices have led to the fact that housing has become less affordable . Current downward trend began with the summer.

The yen fell against the dollar, which , in part, was associated with a protocol of the meeting of 21-22 January . They showed that the members of the Board of the Bank of Japan 's monetary policy predict that the country's economic recovery will continue. The Council added that the risks to the recovery remain , especially from commodity exporters, the European debt situation and the pace of recovery in the U.S.. Council members also said that inflation seems to be growing, making progress in the completion of a long period of deflation. Meanwhile , we add that the growth forecasts by the central bank for fiscal year 2013 unchanged at 2.7 percent, while the forecast for 2014 fiscal year has been revised downward to 1.4 percent from 1 , 5 percent. Gross domestic product is forecast to grow at a steady pace in 2015 - at the level of 1.5 percent. Inflation forecast of the Bank of Japan also remained unchanged. Core CPI is estimated to increase by 0.7 percent in fiscal 2013 and 3.3 percent in fiscal year 2014 . The rate of inflation will be moderate - at 2.6 percent in fiscal year 2014 .

Pound rose slightly against the dollar, while restoring previously lost ground. Steam rising for the first week after I met interest in buying near 1.6600/10 . Weak retail sales data for January is almost no impact on the pound, which survived only a short drop to 1.6610 , but quickly recovered . Recall that retail sales including automotive fuel , fell last month by 1.5 percent on a monthly basis , while fixing the first decline for the past three months . Economists had expected sales to fall by 0.9 percent , after the publication of growth of 2.5 per cent in December , which was revised down from 2.6 percent. In annual terms, retail sales , including automotive fuel rose at a slower pace in January - by 4.3 percent , after a 5.3 percent increase in December. It was expected that sales will rise to 5.0 percent . Experts point out that this report , however, should be viewed in the context of a sharp rise in sales in December and January very raw weather , which led to a reduction in consumption. Amid rising consumer confidence , employment and wages, which begins to rise , the household sector can make a positive contribution to GDP this year .

EUR / USD: during the European session, the pair fell to $ 1.3700

GBP / USD: during the European session, the pair fell to $ 1.6609 , but then rose to $ 1.6688

USD / JPY: during the European session, the pair rose to Y102.60

At 13:30 GMT , Canada will release the consumer price index and the core consumer price index from the Bank of Canada in January , and will report on changes in the volume of retail sales in December. At 15:00 GMT the United States declares the volume of sales in the secondary market in January .

EUR/USD

Offers $1.3785/800, $1.3770/80, $1.3750, $1.3740. $1.3728

Bids $1.3700, $1.3686, $1.3674, $1.3660/50

GBP/USD

Offers $1.6823, $1.6795/800, $1.6770/80, $1.6720/25, $1.6700

Bids $1.6650, $1.6610, $1.6605/00, $1.6580

AUD/USD

Offers $0.9128, $0.9100, $0.9085, $0.9045/50, $0.9020

Bids $0.8950, $0.8937, $0.8910/00, $0.8880

EUR/GBP

Offers stg0.8337, stg0.8300/05, stg0.8280, stg0.8265/70, stg0.8254

Bids stg0.8218, stg0.8205/195, stg0.8180, stg0.8150

EUR/JPY

Offers Y142.40/50, Y142.00, Y141.50, Y141.00

Bids Y140.00, Y139.86, Y139.60/50, Y139.38, Y139.10/00

USD/JPY

Offers Y103.40, Y103.20, Y102.90/00, Y102.74/86, Y102.60/65

Bids Y102.20, Y102.00, Y101.67/62, Y101.50, Y101.20/00

European stocks climbed, extending a third consecutive weekly gain, as the Stoxx Europe 600 Index approached its highest level in six years. U.S. index futures and Asian shares also rose.

The Stoxx 600 rose 0.2 percent to 335.55 at 10:30 a.m. in London, heading for a 0.7 percent weekly gain. The equity gauge rallied 5.4 percent from Feb. 4 through yesterday as Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen’s pledge to continue her predecessor’s approach to stimulus policy fueled optimism that the U.S. economic recovery can withstand reduced monthly bond purchases.

U.S. data may show purchases of previously-owned homes fell 4.1 percent in January to a 4.67 million annual pace, according to the median projection of economists.

Valeo added 12 percent to 98.88 euros after saying earnings before interest, taxes and other expenses rose 16 percent to 411 million euros ($564 million) in the second half of 2013. That beat the 375 million-euro average of analyst estimates.

Axa lost 1.7 percent to 19.21 euros. The French insurer said net income climbed 10 percent to 4.48 billion euros in 2013, missing the average projection of 4.74 billion euros.

Technip SA (TEC) rose 2.2 percent to 71.56 euros, heading for its largest two-day increase since May 2009. Societe Generale SA upgraded its rating on the stock to buy from neutral, saying Europe’s largest oilfield-services provider may begin to reduce costs as it introduces tighter controls on spending.

Kering slipped 2.7 percent to 150.90 euros. Sales at the Gucci brand, which made up about 37 percent of total revenue in 2013, rose 0.2 percent in the final three months of last year, according to a statement. That was the slowest quarterly growth in four years and trailed the 0.8 percent increase projected by analysts. Kering said recurring operating income fell to 1.75 billion euros in 2013 from 1.79 billion euros a year earlier. Analysts had predicted 1.77 billion euros.

FTSE 100 6,828.18 +15.19 +0.22%

CAC 40 4,365.39 +9.90 +0.23%

DAX 9,619.81 +0.96 +0.01%

USD/JPY Y101.30, 101.80, Y102.00, Y103.00, Y103.50, Y103.90, Y104.05, Y105.00

EUR/USD $1.3600, $1.3700, $1.3720/25, $1.3750, $1.3800, $1.3825, $1.3875

GBP/USD $1.6540-50, $1.6600, $1.6700

EUR/GBP stg0.8150, stg0.8175, stg0.8190-95, stg0.8200, stg0.8245, stg0.8280, stg0.8320

AUD/USD $0.8810, $0.8950, $0.9050, $0.9075

AUD/JPY Y92.50, Y92.95, Y93.00

USD/CAD C$1.1050, C$1.1100, C$1.1130/35

Asian stocks rose, with the regional benchmark index rebounding from its biggest drop in two weeks, after a larger-than-forecast climb in a measure of U.S. manufacturing tempered concern about global growth.

Nikkei 225 14,865.67 +416.49 +2.88%

S&P/ASX 200 5,438.7 +26.36 +0.49%

Shanghai Composite 2,113.69 -25.09 -1.17%

Samsung Electronics Co., which will unveil a high-end Galaxy phone next week, advanced 3.4 percent in Seoul.

Toyota Motor Corp. climbed 2.1 percent amid a rally in Japanese shares as the yen weakened against the dollar.

National Australia Bank Ltd. lost 1.8 percent in Sydney after the country’s biggest lender by assets flagged a possible increase in provisions at its British operations.

The dollar rose versus most major counterparts this week on bets the Federal Reserve will press on with reducing stimulus, even amid weaker U.S. economic data that may have been caused by winter storms.

The greenback headed for its biggest weekly advance this year against its Japanese peer before Fed Chair Janet Yellen joins Group of 20 officials in Sydney for talks starting tomorrow. The communique from the meeting will urge policy makers to calibrate policies to avoid volatile capital flows, especially during Fed tapering, according to an official from a member country involved in discussions on communique comments on central bank coordination.

Separately, St. Louis Fed President James Bullard and his Dallas counterpart Richard Fisher are scheduled to make remarks today.

The central bank’s January meeting minutes released this week signaled policy makers supported a continued decrease in bond purchases. The Fed announced in December it would start paring stimulus by cutting monthly bond buying by $10 billion per month, and policy makers decided on another reduction of the same size last month, to $65 billion. Policy makers next meet on March 18-19.

Australia’s dollar weakened after prices for iron ore, its biggest export, dropped 1.2 percent over two days to $122.90 a metric ton yesterday, according to data compiled by The Steel Index Ltd. Total iron-ore inventory at Chinese ports monitored by Shanghai Steelhome Information Technology Co. climbed to 100.3 million tons in the week ended Feb. 14, the highest in figures going back to March 2010.

EUR / USD: during the Asian session, the pair traded in the range of $ 1.3710-20

GBP / USD: during the Asian session the pair fell to $ 1.6635

USD / JPY: during the Asian session, the pair rose to Y102.60

Friday's calendar quietens considerably, with only limited data on both sides of the Atlantic. Additionally, the two key Fed speakers expected are both schedules to appear after the market close. The European calendar gets underway at 0800GMT, with the release of the Swiss February consumer and manufacturing confidence data. At 0830GMT, the Netherlands sees the release of the January house price index. The Italian January final HICP data will cross the wires at 0900GMT. Analysts are looking for a fall of 2.1% on month, a rise of 0.6% on year.