Pound Sterling falls further against USD on Trump's clean sweep
- The Pound Sterling posts a fresh over four-month low near 1.2660 against the US Dollar on confirmation that Trump will control both US houses.
- An expected acceleration in US inflation keeps the Fed on course to cut interest rates in December.
- Investors await Fed Powell and BoE Bailey’s speeches in the North American session.
The Pound Sterling (GBP) refreshes over a four-month low below the round level of 1.2700 against the US Dollar (USD) in Thursday’s London session. The GBP/USD pair extends its downside for the fifth consecutive trading day as the US Dollar (USD) continues to gain on optimism over the United States (US) economic outlook, fuelled by headlines that President-elected Donald Trump and the Republican Party will control both the US Senate and the House of Representatives, according to the Associated Press.
This “clean sweep” will allow Donald Trump to execute his protectionist and expansionary policies without interruption. Trump vowed to raise import tariffs by 10% universally and lower taxes on corporations and workers in his election campaign.
Market participants believe that lower taxes and higher import tariffs will result in a high-inflation environment, a scenario that would limit the Federal Reserve’s (Fed) potential to cut interest rates aggressively. Markets currently highly anticipate a 25 basis points (bps) interest rate cut that will push borrowing rates lower to 4.25%-4.50% in December, according to the CME FedWatch tool. Market expectations for the Fed to cut interest rates again next month strengthened after the October Consumer Price Index (CPI) data released on Wednesday showed that inflationary pressures rose in line with estimates.
In Thursday’s US economic calendar, investors will focus on Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s speech, Initial Jobless Claims data for the week ending November 8, and the Producer Price Index (PPI) data for October for fresh guidance on interest rates.
Daily digest market movers: Pound Sterling to be influenced by BoE Bailey’s speech
- The Pound Sterling exhibits a mixed performance against its major peers and is notably weak against the US Dollar on Thursday ahead of Bank of England (BoE) Governor Andrew Bailey’s speech at 21:00 GMT. Bailey is expected to provide cues about whether the BoE will cut interest rates again in December and the potential consequences of Trump’s policies on the United Kingdom (UK) economy.
- In his last interaction with the media in the press conference after the decision to reduce interest rates by 25 bps to 4.75% last week, Bailey said that the policy-easing cycle would be more gradual as Labour’s first budget could increase inflationary pressures and economic growth.
- Investors will also pay close attention to the outlook of inflation in the services sector, a closely tracked indicator by BoE officials for decision-making on interest rates. The Service inflation is expected to remain sticky as the Average Earnings data rose more than expected in the three months ending September.
- Meanwhile, BoE external policy member Catherine Mann said in a panel discussion organized by BNP Paribas on Wednesday that the progress in the disinflation process could slow down as energy prices are more likely to rise than fall and highlighted inflation in the service sector as "pretty sticky," Bloomberg reported. Investors should note that Mann is an outspoken hawk who voted to leave interest rates unchanged at 5% in last week’s monetary policy meeting.
Technical Analysis: Pound Sterling tests August’s low
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The Pound Sterling extends its losing streak against the US Dollar for the fifth trading day on Thursday and declines to near the August low of 1.2665 after establishing below the 200-day Exponential Moving Average (EMA), which trades around 1.2855.
A bearish momentum has kicked in with the 14-day Relative Strength Index (RSI) sustaining below 40.00.
Looking down, the round-level support of 1.2600 will be a major cushion for Pound Sterling bulls. On the upside, the Cable will face resistance near the 200-day EMA
Pound Sterling FAQs
The Pound Sterling (GBP) is the oldest currency in the world (886 AD) and the official currency of the United Kingdom. It is the fourth most traded unit for foreign exchange (FX) in the world, accounting for 12% of all transactions, averaging $630 billion a day, according to 2022 data. Its key trading pairs are GBP/USD, also known as ‘Cable’, which accounts for 11% of FX, GBP/JPY, or the ‘Dragon’ as it is known by traders (3%), and EUR/GBP (2%). The Pound Sterling is issued by the Bank of England (BoE).
The single most important factor influencing the value of the Pound Sterling is monetary policy decided by the Bank of England. The BoE bases its decisions on whether it has achieved its primary goal of “price stability” – a steady inflation rate of around 2%. Its primary tool for achieving this is the adjustment of interest rates. When inflation is too high, the BoE will try to rein it in by raising interest rates, making it more expensive for people and businesses to access credit. This is generally positive for GBP, as higher interest rates make the UK a more attractive place for global investors to park their money. When inflation falls too low it is a sign economic growth is slowing. In this scenario, the BoE will consider lowering interest rates to cheapen credit so businesses will borrow more to invest in growth-generating projects.
Data releases gauge the health of the economy and can impact the value of the Pound Sterling. Indicators such as GDP, Manufacturing and Services PMIs, and employment can all influence the direction of the GBP. A strong economy is good for Sterling. Not only does it attract more foreign investment but it may encourage the BoE to put up interest rates, which will directly strengthen GBP. Otherwise, if economic data is weak, the Pound Sterling is likely to fall.
Another significant data release for the Pound Sterling is the Trade Balance. This indicator measures the difference between what a country earns from its exports and what it spends on imports over a given period. If a country produces highly sought-after exports, its currency will benefit purely from the extra demand created from foreign buyers seeking to purchase these goods. Therefore, a positive net Trade Balance strengthens a currency and vice versa for a negative balance.
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