Proving that it is perhaps also misguided to put your hopes in Donald Trump, the European markets were sleepy on Friday following a tumultuous night of US politics.
Giving with one hand but taking with the other, Trump announced he was supported the government shutdown-avoiding spending package agreed on by Republicans and Democrats, only to then state he would be declaring a national emergency in order to fund his long-promised wall on the US-Mexico border.
The prospect of further domestic disruption, especially with the situation between the US and China yet to be resolved internationally, meant that the European session got off to a downbeat, if far from disastrous, start. The DAX fell 0.6%, leaving the German index the wrong side of 11050, while the FTSE tripped back under 7200 as it slipped 10 or so points.
Ahead of the latest UK retail sales figures, which are set to bounce from -0.9% to 0.2% month-on-month, the pound sat flat against the dollar, with cable at $1.28, while reclaiming 0.2% from the euro, allowing sterling to push above €1.135.