The British Pound (GBP) edges lower against the US Dollar (USD) on Wednesday, snapping a two-day winning streak as renewed strength in the Greenback weighed on sentiment. Sterling remains vulnerable after Tuesday’s UK Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) survey came in below expectations, indicating a slowdown in business activity and reigniting concerns about growth.
At the time of writing, GBP/USD is trading near 1.3435, its lowest level in over two weeks, last seen on September 5. The pair is down nearly 0.65% on the day, with downside momentum gathering pace after failing to sustain a recovery above its 21-day Simple Moving Average (SMA).
Meanwhile, the US Dollar Index (DXY), which tracks the value of the Greenback against a basket of six major currencies, rebounds sharply to 97.70 after two days of losses, as Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s cautious tone on future monetary easing helped limit the downside.
On the daily chart, GBP/USD continues its decline after peaking at its highest level since early July on September 17, with bears extending their grip. From a technical perspective, the pair has slipped below both the 21-day and 50-day Simple Moving Averages (SMA), at 1.3521 and 1.3470, respectively.
Immediate support is seen at 1.3400, and a break beneath this level would expose the September swing low at 1.3333. On the upside, bulls need a recovery above the 21-day SMA to ease selling pressure, with the next resistance sitting near 1.3600.
Momentum indicators confirm the downside tilt. The Relative Strength Index (RSI) is hovering at 44, heading lower, and signaling sellers remain in control while still leaving room before oversold conditions kick in.
Meanwhile, the Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) has confirmed a bearish crossover, with the signal line crossing above the MACD line and red histogram bars widening, all indicating growing bearish momentum and scope for deeper losses. Unless buyers push the price back above the 50-day SMA on a daily close, the technical outlook stays in the bears' favor.
The table below shows the percentage change of British Pound (GBP) against listed major currencies today. British Pound was the strongest against the Japanese Yen.
USD | EUR | GBP | JPY | CAD | AUD | NZD | CHF | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
USD | 0.66% | 0.68% | 0.74% | 0.31% | 0.01% | 0.58% | 0.42% | |
EUR | -0.66% | 0.00% | 0.10% | -0.36% | -0.65% | -0.08% | -0.23% | |
GBP | -0.68% | -0.01% | 0.06% | -0.36% | -0.60% | -0.10% | -0.29% | |
JPY | -0.74% | -0.10% | -0.06% | -0.44% | -0.72% | -0.25% | -0.34% | |
CAD | -0.31% | 0.36% | 0.36% | 0.44% | -0.26% | 0.25% | 0.12% | |
AUD | -0.01% | 0.65% | 0.60% | 0.72% | 0.26% | 0.57% | 0.42% | |
NZD | -0.58% | 0.08% | 0.10% | 0.25% | -0.25% | -0.57% | -0.12% | |
CHF | -0.42% | 0.23% | 0.29% | 0.34% | -0.12% | -0.42% | 0.12% |
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).