Mining strength underpins early gains for the FTSE100

GBP Claimant Count Change -21.2K -7.5K -8.6K

GBP MPC Asset Purchase Facility Votes 0-0-9 2-0-7 3-0-6

GBP MPC Official Bank Rate Votes 0-0-9 0-0-9 0-0-9

GBP Average Earnings Index 3m/y 1.7% 1.4% 1.3%

GBP Unemployment Rate 7.8% 7.8% 7.8%

CHF ZEW Economic Expectations 4.8 2.2

EUR German 10-y Bond Auction 1.57|1.6 1.55|1.5

FTSE100 turns modestly lower on concerns over Ben Bernanke

CAD Foreign Securities Purchases 6.74B 10.23B 14.91B

USD Building Permits 0.91M 1.00M 0.99M

USD Housing Starts 0.84M 0.96M 0.93M

CAD Overnight Rate 1.00% 1.00% 1.00%

Bernanke tells Congress Fed flexible on bond buying

WASHINGTON | Wed Jul 17, 2013 2:48pm BST
(Reuters) - Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said on Wednesday the U.S. central bank still expects to start scaling back its massive bond purchase program later this year, but he left open the option of changing that plan if the economic outlook shifted.

While sticking closely to a time-line to wind down the bond buying that he first outlined last month, Bernanke went out of his way to stress that nothing was set in stone.

Updated :- Bernanke tells Congress Fed flexible on bond buying

WASHINGTON | Wed Jul 17, 2013 4:04pm BST

FTSE 100 ends a roller-coaster session modestly higher