US Pre-Market Open: GBPUSD trade review, UK inflation, core spreads

EUR/USD trades marginally higher to near 1.1800 in the European session on Friday, helped by renewed US Dollar weakness. Attention now turns toward the release of the preliminary inflation data for February from Germany and its major states during the day.

GBP/USD struggles to build on the overnight modest bounce from the weekly low and oscillates in a narrow band near 1.3500 in European trading on Friday. The Gorton and Denton by-election, held on February 26, has become a focal point of political drama in the UK, along with the Bank of England (BoE) easing expectations, acts as a headwind for the British Pound and the GBP/USD pair.

Gold trades with positive bias for the third straight day on Friday, with bulls still awaiting sustained strength and acceptance above the $5,200 mark before positioning for any further gains. Geopolitical risks remain in play amid a large US naval and air power buildup in the Middle East.

Bitcoin, Ethereum and Ripple are consolidating near key technical areas on Friday, showing mild signs of stabilization after recent volatility. BTC holds above $67,000 despite mild losses so far this week, while ETH hovers around $2,000 after a rejection near its upper consolidation boundary. 

The Supreme Court ruling on International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) tariffs provides limited relief for the rest of the world, with weighted average tariff rates modestly lower.

Initial Jobless Claims in the week ending February 21 came in at 212K, below economists' expectations of 215K but slightly above the previous reading of 208K. Continuing Claims also declined to 1.833 million, signaling stabilization in labor market conditions.