Foreign Exchange Market Update

February 9, 2026

United Kingdom (U.K.) Job Placement Downturn Slows

British Pounds traded at 1.3667 against USD at 9:00 AM PST

The U.K. reported a softer drop in permanent job placements in January, and vacancies continued to fall at a slower pace. There was another decline in permanent job placements in January amid reports of weak market conditions and employer costs. However, the pace of decrease eased to the weakest in 18 months.

At the same time, temp billings increased for only the second time since May 2024, though growth was marginal. The availability of candidates continued to rise largely due to redundancies and fewer job opportunities. Nonetheless, the rate of expansion was the softest in 12 months.

Improvement in pay trends for both permanent and temporary staff. Starting salaries grew at the fastest pace in nearly a year and a half, and temp wage growth hit the joint-highest since May 2024. Vacancies continued to fall in January.

The rate of reduction remained sharp in January despite easing to the second slowest in the past seven months. Demand for permanent staff contracted at a softer pace than in December, but one that remained quicker than for temporary workers. 02/09/2026 - 02:00:00 (RTTNews)

Taiwan Trade Surplus Grows in January

Taiwan's foreign trade surplus increased notably in January compared to the same month a year ago as exports grew faster than imports. The trade surplus rose to $18.9 billion in January from $10.1 billion in the corresponding month last year. Meanwhile, the surplus decreased from $19.4 billion in December.

Exports surged 69.9% year-over-year in January, faster than the 43.4% increase in the prior month. Shipments of information, communication, and audio-video products grew 129.8%, and those of electronic product parts rose by 34.0%. The annual growth of imports eased sharply to 63.6% from 14.9%. 02/09/2026 - 06:20:00 (RTTNews)