Pound Rises Second Day Versus Dollar After Bernanke; Gilts Rise

The pound strengthened for a second day against the dollar after Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke said the U.S. economy still needed stimulus that tends to devalue a currency.

Sterling climbed from a four-month low versus the euro before the Bank of England publishes the minutes of its most recent meeting next week that will reveal how policy makers voted at new Governor Mark Carney’s first meeting. U.K. government bonds rose for a fourth day as the U.K. Debt Management Office sold 2.5 billion pounds ($3.78 billion) of 30-year gilts.