Data:

07:00   Germany Retail sales, real adjusted November +0.7% +0.1% -0.9%  

07:00   Germany Retail sales, real unadjusted, y/y November -0.4% +0.7% +0.8%  

07:45   France Consumer confidence December 79 80 80  

09:30   United Kingdom Purchasing Manager Index Services December 52.1 51.6 54.0    

09:30   United Kingdom BOE Credit Conditions Survey IV quarter

10:00   Eurozone Industrial New Orders s.a., m/m October -6.4% +2.5% +1.8%  

10:00   Eurozone Industrial New Orders, y/y October +1.6% +3.3% +1.6%  

10:00   Eurozone Producer Price Index, MoM November +0.1% +0.1% +0.2%  

10:00   Eurozone Producer Price Index (YoY) November +5.5% +5.2% +5.3% 

The euro fell  after French borrowing costs rose at a bond sale today.

The common currency slumped after France sold 7.96 billion euros ($10.3 billion) of debt today in its first auction of the year as credit-rating companies threaten to cut the nation’s top AAA ranking.

France sold 4.02 billion euros of benchmark 10-year bonds at an average yield of 3.29 percent from 3.18 percent in a sale on Dec. 1. The 10-year debt bid-to-cover ratio, or the number of bids received for each unit of debt sold, fell to 1.64 from 3.05.

EUR/USD: the pair has fallen in $1,2820 area.

GBP/USD: the pair has fallen in $1,5500 area.

USD/JPY: the pair was limited Y76,65-Y76,90.

US data starts at 12:30 GMT with Challenger Layoffs, followed at 13:15 GMT by the latest US ADP National Employment Report and then at 13:30 GMT by the weekly initial jobless claims, which are expected to fall  6,000 to 375,000 in the December holiday 31 week after rising by 15,000 in the previous week. The ISM non-manufacturing index is due at 15:00 GMT, which is forecast to rise to a reading of 53.0 in December after falling slightly to 52.0 in November. The Canada Ivey Purchasing Managers Index is also due at 15:00 GMT. Weekly data from the EIA is also due Thursday, the weekly Natural Gas Stocks data coming at 1530GMT and the weekly Crude Oil Stocks at 16:00 GMT.