GBP/USD Price Forecast: Holds a mildly bullish bias near 1.3500 despite subdued RSI momentum
- GBP/USD gains ground to near 1.3490 in Thursday’s early European session.
- The pair maintains a mildly bullish bias; further consolidation cannot be ruled out with subdued RSI momentum.
- The first upside barrier to watch is 1.3550; the initial support level is seen at 1.3440.
The GBP/USD pair trades in positive territory around 1.3490 during the early European trading hours on Thursday, bolstered by a weaker US Dollar (USD). Traders await the Bank of England (BoE) Governor Andrew Bailey’s speech and US August jobs data later on Friday for fresh impetus.
Federal Reserve (Fed) Chair Kevin Warsh delivered unexpectedly hawkish remarks at the Jackson Hole meeting last week, boosting market expectations for a rate hike next month. Warsh pledged to return inflation to the 2% target and indicated rates could rise further.
“The emphasis on inflation risks, together with Warsh’s explicit commitment to achieving price stability and his reluctance to pre-commit to future policy actions, reinforces the elevated risks of policy tightening this year, although it could also be the case of talking without action, said UOB analysts.
On the UK’s front, BoE policymaker Catherine Mann said that the UK economy had shown signs of stronger growth since the last monetary policy meeting. Mann added that the labour market had stabilised and inflation had been a little stronger than expected.
Financial markets on Tuesday were fully pricing a BoE rate hike by the end of the year but only around 15% odds of a rate increase at the September policy meeting, according to Reuters.
Pound sentiment steady as UK politics offer few fresh cues
Strategists at Scotiabank note that the domestic political backdrop remains quiet, with “political developments… equally limited, offering little to market participants in search of domestic drivers.” They “continue to highlight the importance of sentiment – specifically, politically-related sentiment – in driving the recent strength in the Pound following the arrival of PM Burnham in late June,” even as the current lack of new policy signals leaves investors with fewer fresh catalysts to trade on.
Technical Analysis: GBP/USD retains a mildly bullish tone above the 100-day SMA
In the daily chart, GBP/USD maintains a mildly bullish near-term bias as it holds above the 100-day Simple Moving Average (SMA) and the lower Bollinger band, suggesting underlying demand on dips. However, price remains capped beneath the Bollinger middle band, while the latest 14-day Relative Strength Index at 46.8 points to subdued momentum rather than a strong trending move.
On the topside, initial resistance is located at the Bollinger middle band at 1.3550. A stronger barrier is seen at the May 8 high of 1.3637, en route to the upper Bollinger band near 1.3665.
On the downside, the key support level to watch emerges at the 100-day SMA and the lower Bollinger band of 1.3440, forming a tight demand zone that would need to give way to signal a deeper corrective phase. A decisive break below this level could expose the July 13 low of 1.3342.
(The technical analysis of this story was written with the help of an AI tool. Know more.)
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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