Pound higher as Services PMI rises, job report next

Kenny Fisher MarketPulse

The British pound has moved higher on Monday, after declining 1% last week. In the European session, GBP/USD is trading at 1.2747, up 0.30% on the day.

UK Services improves, Manufacturing slips

The UK Services PMI rose to 51.4 in December, up from 50.8 in November, which was a 13-month low. This beat the market estimate of 51.0, but points to weak business activity as demand for UK exports has been weak and confidence among services providers remains subdued.

UK manufacturing is mired in a depression, and the PMI fell to 47.3 in December, down from 48.0 in November and shy of the market estimate of 48.2. This marked the lowest level in eleven months, as production and new orders showed an accelerated decrease.

The weak PMI data followed Friday’s GDP report, which showed a 0.1% decline for a second straight month in October. This missed the market estimate of 0.1%. GDP rose just 0.1% in the three months to October.

The UK releases employment and wage growth numbers on Tuesday. The economy is projected to have lost 12 thousand jobs in the three months to October, after a sparking 200 thousand gain in the previous report. Wages including bonuses is expected to climb to 5% from 4.8%.

The Bank of England meets on Thursday and is expected to hold the cash rate at 4.75% after cutting rates by 25 basis points in November. The economy could use another rate cut but inflation remains a risk to upside, with CPI climbing in October to 2.3% from 1.7%. The BoE will be keeping a close eye on wage growth, which has been a driver of inflation.

The US releases PMIs later today. Manufacturing remained in contraction territory in November at an upwardly revised 49.7 and there is optimism that the new Trump administration’s protectionist stance could benefit US manufacturers.

The services sector is in good shape and improved in November to 56.1, up from 55.0 in October. The uncertainty ahead of the US election is over and lower interest rates have contributed to stronger expansion in services.

GBP/USD technical

GBP/USD is testing resistance at 1.2638. The next resistance line is 1.2668.
1.2592 and 1.2562 are the next support levels.

Author

Kenny Fisher

MarketPulse

A highly experienced financial market analyst with a focus on fundamental analysis, Kenneth Fisher’s daily commentary covers a broad range of markets including forex, equities and commodities.

EUR/USD holds firm near 1.1850 amid USD weakness

EUR/USD remains strongly bid around 1.1850 in European trading on Monday. The USD/JPY slide-led broad US Dollar weakness helps the pair build on Friday's recovery ahead of the Eurozone Sentix Investor Confidence data for February.

GBP/USD hovers near 1.3600 as UK government crisis weighs on Pound Sterling

GBP/USD moves sideways after registering modest gains in the previous session, trading around 1.3610 during the European hours on Monday. The pair could come under pressure as the Pound Sterling may weaken amid a fresh government crisis in the United Kingdom.

Gold remains supported by China's buying and USD weakness as traders eye US data

Gold struggles to capitalize on its intraday move up and remains below the $5,100 mark heading into the European session amid mixed cues. Data released over the weekend showed that the People's Bank of China extended its buying spree for a 15th month in January. Moreover, dovish US Fed expectations and concerns about the central bank's independence drag the US Dollar lower for the second straight day, providing an additional boost to the non-yielding yellow metal.

Cardano steadies as whale selling caps recovery

Cardano (ADA) steadies at $0.27 at the time of writing on Monday after slipping more than 5% in the previous week. On-chain data indicate a bearish trend, with certain whales offloading ADA. However, the technical outlook suggests bearish momentum is weakening, raising the possibility of a short-term relief rebound if buying interest picks up.

Japanese PM Takaichi nabs unprecedented victory – US data eyed this week

I do not think I would be exaggerating to say that Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s snap general election gamble paid off over the weekend – and then some. This secured the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) an unprecedented mandate just three months into her tenure.

Bitcoin, Ethereum and Ripple consolidate after massive sell-off

Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Ripple prices consolidated on Monday after correcting by nearly 9%, 8%, and 10% in the previous week, respectively. BTC is hovering around $70,000, while ETH and XRP are facing rejection at key levels. Traders should be cautious: despite recent stabilization, upside recovery for these top three cryptocurrencies is capped as the broader trend remains bearish.