1.2%: British Pound remains subdued after UK Retail Sales beat forecasts

GBP/USD remains subdued for the third successive day, trading around 1.3190 during the early European hours on Friday. The British Pound (GBP) pares its daily losses against the US Dollar (USD) but remains in negative territory following the release of key economic data from the United Kingdom (UK).

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) released data on Friday, indicating that UK Retail Sales climbed 1.2% month-over-month (MoM) in May after falling by a revised 1.0% in April. The market forecast was for a rise of 0.5% in the reported month. The core Retail Sales rose by 1.2% MoM in May, compared with the previous decrease of 0.1% (revised from -0.4%) and the estimated 0.4% increase figure.

The annual Retail Sales in the UK came in at 3.2% in May versus 0.1% prior (revised from 0%) and 1.9% expectations. The annual core Retail Sales jumped 4.6% in the same month, against April’s 1.1%. The reading came in above the consensus of 3.3%.

The GBP/USD pair holds losses as the Greenback strengthens amid prevailing hawkish sentiment surrounding the Federal Reserve (Fed) policy outlook. The newly appointed Fed Chairman Kevin Warsh emphasized that "price stability" remains the central bank's ultimate guiding principle. Nearly half of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) officials indicated that at least one more rate hike may be necessary later this year.

Moreover, market caution revived on Friday as US-Iran talks collapsed following a CNN report that US Vice President JD Vance canceled his planned trip to the Bürgenstock summit. A spokesperson for the Vice President noted that the logistics of these negotiations "have never been simple or predictable," adding that no departure is imminent until a concrete update is established.