GBP/USD Forecast and News
GBP/USD range bound around 200-DMA, awaiting BoE’s decision
The Pound Sterling registers anemic losses against the US Dollar as traders brace for the Bank of England’s (BoE) monetary policy decision on Thursday. The pair remained within the 1.2529-1.2594 boundaries during the last few days, capped by key support and resistance levels. The GBP/USD trades at 1.2556, down 0.04%.
Latest Pound Sterling News
GBP/USD Technical Overview
The Relative Strength Index (RSI) indicator on the 4-hour chart declined toward 50, highlighting a loss of bullish momentum.
The 200-day Simple Moving Average (SMA) aligns as key pivot level at 1.2550. If GBP/USD confirms that level as support, 1.2600 (Fibonacci 50% retracement of the latest downtrend) could be seen as next resistance before 1.2665 (Fibonacci 61.8% retracement).
In case GBP/USD stays below 1.2550, buyers could stay on the sidelines. In this scenario, supports could be seen at 1.2500 (psychological level, static level), 1.2475 (100-period SMA on the 4-hour chart) and 1.2445 (Fibonacci 23.6% retracement).
Fundamental Overview
GBP/USD came within a touching distance of 1.2600 but erased a large portion of its daily gains in the late American session on Monday. The pair edges slightly lower in the early European session on Tuesday and was last seen trading a few pips below 1.2550.
Improving risk mood made it difficult for the US Dollar (USD) to find demand on Monday. During the American trading hours, however, comments from Federal Reserve officials helped Treasury bond yields rebound and allowed the USD to stay resilient against its rivals.
NY Fed President John Williams said that there will eventually be rate cuts but noted that it was worrisome when monthly inflation prints come in higher. Additionally, Richmond Fed President Thomas Barkin argued that the strong labor market will give the Fed more time to gain confidence that inflation will fall toward the 2% target.
In the absence of fundamental drivers and high-impact data releases, the risk perception could impact GBP/USD's action in the second half of the day.
At the time of press, US stock index futures were trading mixed. A bullish opening in Wall Street could limit the USD's gains and help GBP/USD hold its ground.
According to latest developments, Israel military has taken control of the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing. Later in the day, ceasefire talks are expected to take place in Egypt. In case geopolitical tensions ease, risk flows could return to markets.
SPECIAL WEEKLY GBP/USD FORECAST
Interested in weekly GBP/USD forecasts? Our experts make weekly updates forecasting the next possible moves of the Pound-Dollar pair. Here you can find the most recent forecast by our market experts:
GBP/USD: Recovering ahead of BoE, UK GDP data Premium
The British Pound (GBP) extended its march north against the US Dollar (USD) throughout the week, motivating GBP/USD to break above the 1.2600 figure for the first time since mid-April.
GBP/USD Big Picture
GBP/USD Bullish Themes
GBP/USD BEARISH Themes
Latest GBP Analysis
Editors' picks
EUR/USD meets a tough barrier around 1.0800
The resurgence of the bid bias in the Greenback weighed on the risk-linked assets and motivated EUR/USD to retreat to the 1.0750 region after another failed attempt to retest the 1.0800 zone.
GBP/USD range bound around 200-DMA, awaiting BoE’s decision
The Pound Sterling registers anemic losses against the US Dollar as traders brace for the Bank of England’s (BoE) monetary policy decision on Thursday. The pair remained within the 1.2529-1.2594 boundaries during the last few days, capped by key support and resistance levels. The GBP/USD trades at 1.2556, down 0.04%.
USD/JPY trades higher as USD finds its feet. Intervention still a threat
USD/JPY recovers after last week’s losses on possible intervention and weak US jobs data. Janet Yellen’s mild criticism of intervention may have helped the pair higher. Japanese currency officials continue to threaten intervention, filling the road higher with “potholes”.
Gold eases toward $2,310 amid a better market mood
After falling to $2,310 in the early European session, Gold recovered to the $2,310 area in the second half of the day. The benchmark 10-year US Treasury bond yield stays in negative territory below 4.5% and helps XAU/USD find support.
WTI trades around $78.50 with a positive sentiment after Israel's strike on Rafah city
West Texas Intermediate crude Oil price hovers around $78.50 per barrel during the Asian trading hours on Tuesday. The Oil prices experienced a slight increase following Israel's strike on Rafah in Gaza.
Majors
Cryptocurrencies
Signatures
GBP/USD YEARLY FORECAST
How could GBP/USD move this year? Our experts make a GBP/USD update forecasting the possible moves of the pound-dollar pair during the whole year. Don't miss our 2024 GBP/USD forecast!
2024 GBP/USD FORECAST
In the GBP/USD Price Forecast 2024, our analyst, Dhwani Mehta, notes there are plenty of unknowns and looming uncertainties that make it difficult to convincingly predict the course of the Pound Sterling against the US Dollar (USD) in the year ahead. On both sides of the Atlantic, increased odds of a recession, a dovish pivot in the monetary policies and general elections are foreseen as the key factors driving the GBP/USD price action next year, barring any unprecedented geopolitical risks. Read more details about the forecast.
GBP/USD witnessed a rollercoaster ride in 2023 but the Pound Sterling managed to preserve the recovery gains seen in the first half of the year to a 15-month high of 1.3142.
MOST INFLUENTIAL POLITICAL EVENTS IN 2024 FOR GBP/USD
BoE policymakers continue to push back against expectations of rate cuts next year. However, deteriorating economic performance prompted money markets to begin pricing in four 25 bps rate cuts starting from the summer, anticipating the key rate to be slashed from 5.25% to as low as 4.25% by the end of 2024. The first cut is expected as early as June, to 5.0%.
Even though the Bank of England largely shrugged off a 0.3% contraction in GDP for October, the prospect of a recession in the run-up to a 2024 national election remains high.
A general election is expected next year in the US and the UK, which could fuel intense volatility around the GBP/USD pair. Amidst looming inflation and growth concerns, the political developments on both sides of the Atlantic are likely to be closely followed.
Influential Institutions & People for the GBP/USD
The Pound VS Dollar can be seriously affected by news or the decisions taken by two main central banks:
The Bank of England (BoE)
The Bank of England is the central bank of the United Kingdom. Established in 1694 and privately owned in the beginning, the Bank was nationalised in 1946 so now is completely owned by the UK government. BOE's main reason to be is to maintain monetary and financial stability in the country. Some of its other tasks are producing secure bank notes, operating asset purchase facility and keeping the inflation low and stable. The bank is overseen by the Court, named used to reffer the board of directors, and is accountable to Parliament and the public.
BOE Official Website, on Twitter and Facebook
The Federal Reserve Bank (Fed)
On the other
FED Official Website, on Twitter and Facebook
Andrew Bailey
Andrew Bailey is Governor of the Bank of England since 16 March 2020. He was announced as the new Governor of the BoE on 20 December 2019. Bailey was born in Leicester in 1959 and graduated from Queens' College with a BA in History and a PhD from the Faculty of History, University of Cambridge in 1985. Before becoming the Governor of the BOE, Andrew worked at the Bank in a number of areas, most recently as Executive Director for Banking Services and Chief Cashier, as well as Head of the Bank's Special Resolution Unit (SRU). Previous roles include Governor's Private Secretary, and Head of the International Economic Analysis Division in Monetary Analysis.
Bailey on BOE'S Profile and Wikipedia
Jerome Powell
Jerome Powell took office as chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System in February 2018, for a four-year term ending in February 2022. His term as a member of the Board of Governors will expire January 31, 2028. Born in Washington D.C., he received a bachelor’s degree in politics from Princeton University in 1975 and earned a law degree from Georgetown University in 1979. Powell served as an assistant secretary and as undersecretary of the Treasury under President George H.W. Bush. He also worked as a lawyer and investment banker in New York City. From 1997 through 2005, Powell was a partner at The Carlyle Group.
Jerome Powell Fed's Profile and Wikipedia
BOE NEWS & ANALYSIS
ECB NEWS & ANALYSIS
About GBP/USD
The GBP/USD (or Pound / Dollar) currency pair belongs to the group of 'Majors', a way to mention the most important pairs in the world. The pair is also called 'The Cable', referring to the first Transatlantic cable that was crossing the Atlantic Ocean in order to connect Great Britain with the United States of America. This term originated in the mid-19th century, which makes it one of the oldest currency pairs.
Pound Sterling - US Dollar represents two economies: British and American (from United States of America). The Cable is a closely watched and widely traded currency pair where the Pound is the base currency and the US Dollar is the counter currency. For that reason, all the macroeconomic data related to the US and the UK affects the price of this pair. One of the events which affected most the volatility of the pound vs. dollar was Brexit.
Related pairs
EUR/USD
The EUR/USD (or Euro Dollar) currency pair belongs to the group of 'Majors', a way to mention the most important pairs in the world. This group also includes the following currency pairs: GBP/USD, USD/JPY, AUD/USD, USD/CHF, NZD/USD and USD/CAD. The popularity of Euro Dollar is due to the fact that it gathers two main economies: the European and American (from United States of America) ones. This is a widely traded currency pair where the Euro is the base currency and the US Dollar is the counter currency. Since the EUR/USD pair consists of more than half of all the trading volume worldwide in the Forex Market, it is almost impossible for a gap to appear, let alone a consequent breakaway gap in the opposite direction.
Normally, the EUR/USD is very quiet during the Asian session because economic data that affects the fundamentals of those currencies is released in either the European or U.S. session. Once traders in Europe get to their desks a flurry of activity hits the tape as they start filling customer orders and jockey for positions. At noon activity slows down as traders step out for lunch and then picks back up again as the U.S. comes online.
USD/JPY
The USD/JPY (or US Dollar Japanese Yen) currency pair belongs to the group of 'Majors', a way to mention the most important pairs in the world. This group also includes the following currency pairs: EUR/USD, GBP/USD, AUD/USD, USD/CHF, NZD/USD and USD/CAD. Japanese Yen has a low interest rate and is normally used in carry trades. This is the reason why is one of the most trades currencies worldwide. In the USD/JPY the US Dollar is the base currency and the Japanese Yen is the counter currency. The pair represents American (from United States of America) and Japanese economies.
Trading the USD/JPY currency pair is also known as trading the "ninja" or the "gopher", although this last name is more frequently used when referred to the GBP/JPY currency pair. The US Dollar Japanese Yen usually has a positive correlation with the following two pairs: USD/CHF and USD/CAD. The nature of this correlation is due to the fact that both currency pairs also use the US Dollar as the base currency, such as USD/JPY. The value of the pair tends to be affected when the two main central banks of each country, the Bank of Japan (BoJ) and the Federal Reserve Bank (Fed), face serious interest rate differential.