US leading economic index and Japanese exports rise

US economic data on Thursday were positive. The Conference Board's index of US leading indicators rose 0.7 percent in August, existing home sales rose 1.7 percent and the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia’s general economic index jumped to 22.3 in September from 9.3 in August.

Japanese economic data on Thursday were also positive. The all-industry activity index rebounded 0.5 percent in July after having fallen 0.7 percent in June. Exports rose 14.7 percent in August from a year earlier, up from 12.2 percent in July, while imports rose 16.0 percent.

However, the run of strong economic data from the UK took a break on Thursday. Retail sales fell 0.9 percent in August, with food store sales falling 2.7 percent, fully reversing the previous month's gain.