Sterling briefly breaks through $1.41 after UK employment data

The British currency rose as high as $1.4118, up 0.8 percent on the day. It also hit a six-week high of 87.58 pence per euro .

British government bond prices extended their fall after the labour market data and were down 29 ticks at 0938 GMT, roughly doubling their earlier decline. The yield on 10-year gilts hit its highest level since late October at 1.389 percent, up 3 basis points on the day.

The internationally focused FTSE 100 <.ftse> was down 0.5 percent at a session low after official data showed that UK employment surged to a record high and regular wages rose at their fastest rate in almost a year.

(Reporting by Tommy Wilkes; Additional reporting by William Schomberg and Julien Ponthus; Editing by Jemima Kelly)