Unemployment stays at 8.4pc

Today’s headline unemployment figure of 8.4% is the same as last month and as expected, but youth unemployment hit a record high in January.

The Office for National Statistics said the total number of benefit claimants rose by 7,200 to 1.6 million.

While not disastrous, the slightly negative news has caused the Pound to fall, putting an end to the run we have seen for better exchange rates in the last 48 hours. We are still near to 2012’s best rates for sending Euros, and tomorrow we have Eurozone unemployment figures as well as the European Central Bank monthly report.