GBP/USD climbs above 1.3500 after dismal US jobs data
- GBP/USD rose above 1.3500 in the American session on Friday.
- The US Dollar (USD) stays under heavy selling pressure.
- Nonfarm Payrolls in the US rose by 22,000 in August.
GBP/USD gathered bullish momentum and climbed above 1.3500 in the American session on Friday. At the time of press, the pair was up 0.6% on the day at 1.3515.
Pound Sterling Price Today
The table below shows the percentage change of British Pound (GBP) against listed major currencies today. British Pound was the strongest against the US Dollar.
| USD | EUR | GBP | JPY | CAD | AUD | NZD | CHF | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USD | -0.74% | -0.66% | -0.75% | -0.12% | -0.92% | -0.95% | -0.80% | |
| EUR | 0.74% | 0.09% | -0.10% | 0.62% | -0.09% | -0.19% | -0.06% | |
| GBP | 0.66% | -0.09% | -0.16% | 0.53% | -0.17% | -0.29% | -0.11% | |
| JPY | 0.75% | 0.10% | 0.16% | 0.69% | -0.10% | -0.16% | 0.11% | |
| CAD | 0.12% | -0.62% | -0.53% | -0.69% | -0.75% | -0.83% | -0.67% | |
| AUD | 0.92% | 0.09% | 0.17% | 0.10% | 0.75% | -0.12% | 0.07% | |
| NZD | 0.95% | 0.19% | 0.29% | 0.16% | 0.83% | 0.12% | 0.17% | |
| CHF | 0.80% | 0.06% | 0.11% | -0.11% | 0.67% | -0.07% | -0.17% |
The heat map shows percentage changes of major currencies against each other. The base currency is picked from the left column, while the quote currency is picked from the top row. For example, if you pick the British Pound from the left column and move along the horizontal line to the US Dollar, the percentage change displayed in the box will represent GBP (base)/USD (quote).
The renewed selling pressure surrounding the US Dollar (USD) seems to be fuelling GBP/USD's rally heading into the weekend.
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on Friday that Nonfarm Payrolls (NSP) rose by 22,000 in August. This print missed the market expectation of 75,000 by a wide margin. In this period, the Unemployment Rate edged higher to 4.3% from 4.2% in July, as expected.
With the immediate reaction to the disappointing employment report, the yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury bonds turned south and was last seen losing 2% on the day below 4.1%. In turn, the USD Index slumped to its lowest level since late July near 97.50.
According to the CME FedWatch Tool, markets are currently pricing in about a 75% probability that the Federal Reserve (Fed) will opt for 25 basis-points (bps) rate cuts both in September and October policy meetings.
Nonfarm Payrolls FAQs
Nonfarm Payrolls (NFP) are part of the US Bureau of Labor Statistics monthly jobs report. The Nonfarm Payrolls component specifically measures the change in the number of people employed in the US during the previous month, excluding the farming industry.
The Nonfarm Payrolls figure can influence the decisions of the Federal Reserve by providing a measure of how successfully the Fed is meeting its mandate of fostering full employment and 2% inflation. A relatively high NFP figure means more people are in employment, earning more money and therefore probably spending more. A relatively low Nonfarm Payrolls’ result, on the either hand, could mean people are struggling to find work. The Fed will typically raise interest rates to combat high inflation triggered by low unemployment, and lower them to stimulate a stagnant labor market.
Nonfarm Payrolls generally have a positive correlation with the US Dollar. This means when payrolls’ figures come out higher-than-expected the USD tends to rally and vice versa when they are lower. NFPs influence the US Dollar by virtue of their impact on inflation, monetary policy expectations and interest rates. A higher NFP usually means the Federal Reserve will be more tight in its monetary policy, supporting the USD.
Nonfarm Payrolls are generally negatively-correlated with the price of Gold. This means a higher-than-expected payrolls’ figure will have a depressing effect on the Gold price and vice versa. Higher NFP generally has a positive effect on the value of the USD, and like most major commodities Gold is priced in US Dollars. If the USD gains in value, therefore, it requires less Dollars to buy an ounce of Gold. Also, higher interest rates (typically helped higher NFPs) also lessen the attractiveness of Gold as an investment compared to staying in cash, where the money will at least earn interest.
Nonfarm Payrolls is only one component within a bigger jobs report and it can be overshadowed by the other components. At times, when NFP come out higher-than-forecast, but the Average Weekly Earnings is lower than expected, the market has ignored the potentially inflationary effect of the headline result and interpreted the fall in earnings as deflationary. The Participation Rate and the Average Weekly Hours components can also influence the market reaction, but only in seldom events like the “Great Resignation” or the Global Financial Crisis.
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