|

GBP/USD targets fresh yearly high

  • BoE helps maintain sterling's recent impressive run, says negative rates unlikely.
  • US unemployment remains problematic, Friday's data awaited.
  • Stimulus talks between Democrats and Republicans in the US remain deadlocked.

Cable continued its impressive comeback of recent months as it aims for 1.32 and higher.  A target towards new highs for 2020 is on the cards.  The pair is currently at a five-month high and has moved back into a nice consolidation area from where it broke down in March this year.  Since then, cable has rallied from its 1.1490 low hit on March 20.  

The initial impetus was largely on the UK’s control of the coronavirus outbreak relative to the US.  The UK was seen to laggard a lot of Europe in its lockdown measures but still got the virus under control more quickly than the US. The US struggled with unity, a strong coherent message and which course of action to take to initially control the outbreak. 

Cable has since been helped by the essential money printing operation of the US Federal Reserve, the Fed saying earlier in the crisis that it would do whatever it takes.

BoE helps bullish sentiment

This morning the BoE was surprisingly upbeat on the UK economy or at least less downbeat. It revised up its projections for 2020 from May, the quote “we do not immediately expect negative rates” certainly added to the immediate reaction seen in the markets.

Dollar bye bye!

Sterling cannot take all the credit though as the dollar weakness across the board continues.  Talks in Washington over a fifth virus-related aid package remain deadlocked. Jobless claims came in better than expected but the bearishness continued with tomorrow's payroll number now in the crosshairs.

GBP/USD technical levels to watch

Technically some good resistance levels close by with 1.32 figure looking imminent, 1.3245 the Fibonacci 61.8% retracement from the April 2018 high to the March 2020 low. Taking those out brings the price to 1.3284, Dec 31, 2019 high and 1.3515 high from December 2019.  On the other hand, the bullish tone will likely remain intact above 1.28.

Author

More from FXStreet Team
Share:

Editor's Picks

EUR/USD sticks to positive bias above 1.1800 as trade jitters undermine USD

The EUR/USD pair builds on the previous day's modest gains and attracts some buyers for the second straight day on Thursday amid a softer US Dollar. Spot prices, however, lack bullish conviction and trade around the 1.1815-1.1820 area during the Asian session, up 0.10% for the day.

GBP/USD bounces as soft CPI boosts BoE cut bets

GBP/USD rose 0.42% on Wednesday, recovering toward 1.3600 in a session shaped by softer-than-expected UK inflation data and broad US Dollar weakness. The pair had been consolidating in a tight range between about 1.3450 and 1.3520 for the past few days following the sharp pullback from the late-January high near 1.3870, and Wednesday's move pushed price action back onto the high side of key moving averages.

Gold retains positive bias amid sustained safe-haven demand, softer USD

Gold attracts some buyers for the second straight day as trade jitters and geopolitical tensions ahead of the US-Iran nuclear talks underpin demand for safe-haven assets. Apart from this, a softer US Dollar further supports the bullion, though the underlying bullish sentiment could cap gains. Bulls might also opt to wait for acceptance above the $5,200 mark before positioning for any meaningful appreciating move.

UK financial watchdog advances stablecoin oversight as four firms pilot issuance

The Financial Conduct Authority in the United Kingdom is advancing toward the final stablecoin regulatory framework with a pilot program involving four companies, including Monee, Financial Technologies ReStabilise, Revolut and VVTX.

Nvidia delivers another monster earnings report, and forecasts big things to come

It was another monster earnings report from Nvidia for fiscal Q4. Revenues were $68.1bn, smashing estimates of $65bn. Gross profit margin was a healthy 75%, up from 73.5% in the prior quarter, and the outlook for this quarter was monstrous.

Cosmos Hub Price Forecast: ATOM rebounds slightly, bearish outlook remains intact

Cosmos Hub (ATOM) price rebounds, trading above $2.05 at the time of writing on Wednesday, after undergoing a sharp correction since last week. Weakening on-chain and derivatives data support a bearish outlook, while technical analysis remains unfavorable.