Pound Sterling bounces back above 1.3400 as US PCE inflation softens further
|- The Pound Sterling bounces back strongly above 1.3400 against the US Dollar after soft US PCE inflation data.
- Investors will focus on a slew of US labor market data released next week.
- The BoE is expected to cut interest rates once in the last quarter of the year.
The Pound Sterling (GBP) recovers sharply above the round-level resistance of 1.3400 against the US Dollar (USD) in Friday’s North American session. The GBP/USD pair gains strength after the release of the United States (US) Personal Consumption Expenditure Price Index (PCE) data for August, which showed that price pressures grew at a slower-than expected pace.
US annual headline PCE inflation rose by 2.2%, slower than the consensus of 2.3% and the prior release of 2.5%. In the same period, the US core PCE index, the Federal Reserve’s (Fed) preferred inflation gauge, grew expectedly by 2.7% but faster than the prior release of 2.6%. The month-on-month headline and core PCE inflation rose by 0.1%.
A slowdown in the inflation data is unlikely to cement market expectations for the Fed to cut interest rates by 50 basis points (bps) again in November as officials were already confident that price pressures will return to the bank’s target of 2%. Meanwhile, policymakers have become more vigilant about labor market risks. Last week, the Fed started the policy-easing cycle with a larger-than-usual interest rate cut of 50 basis points (bps) to 4.75%-5.00%, which signaled that officials would do whatever it takes to revive labor market strength.
Daily digest market movers: Pound Sterling resumes upside journey against US Dollar
- The Pound Sterling performs weakly against its major peers, except the Asia-Pacific currencies, on Friday. The British currency remains uncertain due to the absence of top-tier United Kingdom (UK) economic events.
- There isn’t any top-tier UK economic data this week or the next one. Therefore, the GBP will be influenced by market expectations for the Bank of England’s (BoE) monetary policy action for the remainder of the year.
- Financial market participants expect that the BoE will lower interest rates once in any of the two policy meetings remaining this year. The BoE pivoted to policy normalization with a 25-bps interest rate cut in August to 5%, but left rates unchanged in its last week’s meeting.
- On Tuesday, BoE Governor Andrew Bailey said in an interview with the Kent Messenger newspaper that "the path for interest rates will be downwards, gradually,” Reuters reports. Bailey’s comments suggest that he is confident about inflation sustainably returning to the bank’s target of 2%. He didn’t provide a specific neutral rate but assured that they will not return to historic lows as seen in times of pandemic.
British Pound PRICE Today
The table below shows the percentage change of British Pound (GBP) against listed major currencies today. British Pound was the strongest against the US Dollar.
| USD | EUR | GBP | JPY | CAD | AUD | NZD | CHF | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USD | -0.10% | -0.04% | -1.54% | 0.03% | -0.46% | -0.44% | -0.61% | |
| EUR | 0.10% | 0.06% | -1.47% | 0.09% | -0.34% | -0.36% | -0.48% | |
| GBP | 0.04% | -0.06% | -1.51% | 0.04% | -0.42% | -0.40% | -0.55% | |
| JPY | 1.54% | 1.47% | 1.51% | 1.58% | 1.11% | 1.12% | 1.00% | |
| CAD | -0.03% | -0.09% | -0.04% | -1.58% | -0.50% | -0.47% | -0.61% | |
| AUD | 0.46% | 0.34% | 0.42% | -1.11% | 0.50% | 0.03% | -0.14% | |
| NZD | 0.44% | 0.36% | 0.40% | -1.12% | 0.47% | -0.03% | -0.15% | |
| CHF | 0.61% | 0.48% | 0.55% | -1.00% | 0.61% | 0.14% | 0.15% |
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).
Technical Analysis: Pound Sterling climbs back above 1.3400
The Pound Sterling recovers above the key resistance of 1.3400 against the US Dollar in North American trading hours. The GBP/USD pair bunces back to near its fresh more-than-two-year high above 1.3430. The near-term outlook of the Cable remains firm as the 20-day Exponential Moving Average (EMA) near 1.3235 is sloping higher.
Earlier in September, the Cable strengthened after recovering from a corrective move to near the trendline plotted from the December 28, 2023, high of 1.2828, from where it delivered a sharp increase after a breakout on August 21.
The 14-day Relative Strength Index (RSI) tilts down but remains above 60.00, suggesting an active bullish momentum.
Looking up, the Cable will face resistance near the psychological level of 1.3500. On the downside, the 20-day EMA near 1.3235 will be the key support for Pound Sterling bulls.
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