Pound Sterling Price News and Forecast: GBP/USD recovers above the 1.2600 psychological mark
|GBP/USD holds above the 1.2600 mark, UK Retail Sales, US PPI data eyed
The GBP/USD pair manages to hold above the key 100-day Exponential Moving Average (EMA) of 1.2580 during the early Asian session on Friday. The recovery of the major pair is bolstered by weaker-than-expected US Retail Sales, which drag the USD Index (DXY) lower. Investors will shift their attention to the UK Retail Sales and US Producer Price Index (PPI), due later in the day. At press time, GBP/USD is trading at 1.2600, adding 0.04% on the day.
On Thursday, US Retail Sales dropped 0.8% MoM in January from a 0.4% rise in December, worse than the market expectation of a 0.1% decline. Retail Sales Control Group came in at -0.4% MoM versus 0.6% prior. The downbeat Retail Sales data raise hope that the Federal Reserve (Fed) will soon start cutting interest rates in the coming months. This, in turn, exerts some selling pressure on the Greenback and acts as a tailwind for the GBP/USD pair. Furthermore, the New York Empire State Manufacturing Index arrived at -2.4 in February, a big improvement from the previous reading of -43.7. Read more...
GBP/USD struggles to find acceptance above 1.2600, trades in the red ahead of UK Retail Sales
The GBP/USD pair continues with its struggle to find acceptance or build on the momentum beyond the 1.2600 mark and meets with some supply during the Asian session on Friday. Spot prices currently trade around the 1.2585 region, down less than 0.10% for the day, and remain on track to register modest weekly losses.
Thursday's UK GDP report confirmed a technical recession, which, along with softer UK consumer inflation figures released on Wednesday, reaffirmed bets that the Bank of England (BoE) will start cutting interest rates soon. This, in turn, acts as a headwind for the British Pound (GBP) and keeps a lid on the GBP/USD pair's recovery move from the vicinity of the weekly trough amid a modest US Dollar (USD) uptick. Read more...
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