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GBP/USD pair dropped to two-and-half-week lows, further below the 1.3600 mark and was pressured by sustained US dollar buying interest. A surprise rate cut \\u2013 though seems unlikely \\u2013 or hints of lowering rates in future could exert some heavy downward pressure on the sterling. Conversely, an upbeat economic assessment \\u2013 amid the speedy rollout of COVID-19 vaccine in the UK \\u2013 could provide a modest lift to the pound. The EUR/USD pair extended its daily slide despite the upbeat data and was last seen losing 0.42% on a daily basis at 1.1984. ECB provided updates on economic and monetary developments - \\u201cThe unemployment rate in the euro area declined further in November 2020, helped by an increase in the number of workers covered by job retention schemes.\\u201d \\u201cShort-term labor market indicators have continued to improve somewhat, but are still signaling contractionary developments.\\u201c The dollar index was up 0.2% at 91.320, near its highest level since early December. USD/JPY rose 0.2% at 105.22 while AUD/USD rose 0.2% at 0.7629.