GBP/USD finds key support near 1.35 despite year-end grind
- GBP/USD found technical support at the 1.3500 level on Monday.
- Cable price action remains tepid amid end-of-year volume drain.
- Fed Meeting Minutes due on Tuesday to provide one last glimpse at 2025 policy stance.
GBP/USD remains bolstered on the high end as markets grind through the last trading week of the year. Cable caught a bullish tilt to keep price action on the high side of the 1.3500 handle, though year-end holiday volumes are unlikely to see significant progress in either direction as 2025 draws to a close.
The UK side of the economic data docket remains thin this week, leaving low-impact market flows in the driver’s seat. The Federal Reserve’s (Fed) latest Meeting Minutes will land on anemic markets on Tuesday, and will serve as a last glimpse at the Fed’s widening array of policy discussion before the calendar year wraps up.
Investors will be looking for signs of a dovish tilt in policymakers’ internal decision-making rhetoric. Fed officials hit a cautious tone with the latest dot plot update of interest rate expectations, with Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) voting members expecting a total of two quarter-point interest rate cuts over the next two years. Rate market speculators are expecting the Fed to get bullied into more interest rate cuts, with rate traders pricing in two rate trims by September of 2026.\
GBP/USD daily chart
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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