Sterling nears three-month high; UK consumers more upbeat

LONDON, Nov 24 (Reuters) – The pound rose on Friday nearing its highest in almost three months, lifted in part by a broad-based retreat in the dollar, but also by a rise in UK bond yields after this week’s budget update included a forecast of higher government debt issuance. Also bullish for sterling was a reading of consumer confidence on Friday that showed people in Britain turned more optimistic about the outlook for the economy and their personal finances this month, although sentiment is a long off where it was before COVID struck in early 2019. Sterling rose to a high of $1.2575 on Thursday, taking advantage of lower trading volumes because of the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday to make inroads…