At the tenders on Tuesday the Japanese yen became stronger against the basic currencies.

Strengthening of yen rate is promoted by closing of short positions on the Japanese currency by investors before the next meeting of Bank of Japan.

Let's remind that within several weeks there was observed the tendency of easing of the Japanese yen rate, which reason was drop in the world prices oil.

Also growth of the Japanese currency was due to the press information about a possible departure of a large Japanese investor from dollar assets.

The yen was up 150 points to the American currency.

In its turn the American currency suspended its strengthening on anxiety about quarterly refinancing in the USA.

Thus the euro/dollar rate was about a mark 1.1980.

Unlike euro, the British pound was closed with downturn against dollar.

A pound rate is under pressure of the fact that probability of the further drop in a level of interest rates in the UK is great.

The retail sales index, published by BRC, decreased to a 11-years minimum. It means that serious increase in consumer expenses and improvements of economic condition should not be expected.

According to Redbook company the sales volume in retail trade of the USA for the first week of February has grown on 0.4 % m\m.

Rates of growth were above forecasts of 0.2 %.

Seasonably adjusted sales for a week on January, 29th - February, 4th were up 3.3 % to the same period in comparison with the similar period of 2005 while analysts forecast growth at a level of 3.2 %.

In December industrial production of Germany dipped again, and it was the second month successively. Such situation testifies to that the German economy does not improve

According to preliminary data of the Ministry of Economics of Germany, industrial outputs fell on 0,5 % for a month in December in comparison with the last month, and to the same period of the last year rose on 3,4 %. Analysts expected growth approximately on 0.7 %.