Alpesh Paleja, chief economist at CBI, said: "although sales have grown in the past few months, the basic trading conditions for retailers remain difficult. We expect that the pressures on households to actually pay will continue for a while, so retailers still face challenges. " However, smaller, yet unestablished, Banks are still keen to attract new businesses, such as the recent announcement of Atom Bank, a multi-million dollar mobile provider for investors. Not long ago, U.S. debt long positions were near historic highs. The CFTC's holdings report showed that as of Dec. 12, the 30-year U.S. debt had a net gain of 10.091 million, the highest level since last July.