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GBP/USD dives to 1.3800 mark, fresh session lows on hotter-than-expected US CPI

  • A combination of factors prompted some fresh selling around GBP/USD on Tuesday.
  • COVID-19 jitters, Brexit woes continued acting as a headwind for the British pound.
  • Upbeat US CPI report pushed the USD higher and added to the intraday selling bias.

The GBP/USD pair dived to fresh daily lows in reaction to hotter-than-expected US consumer inflation figures, with bearish now eyeing sustained weakness below the 1.3800 mark.

Having struggled to find acceptance above the 1.3900 mark, the GBP/USD pair came under some renewed selling pressure on Tuesday and was weighed down by a combination of factors. The disappointing data released by the British Retail Consortium (BRC), along with COVID-19 and Brexit woes turned out to be key factors that acted as a headwind for the British pound. This, along with a goodish pickup in the US dollar demand, contributed to the pair's intraday decline.

The intraday USD buying picked up pace during the early North American session following the release of the latest US consumer inflation figures. In fact, the headline CPI smashed market expectations and accelerated to 5.4% YoY in June. Data published by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics further revealed that CPI at the core level jumped 4.5% YoY during the reported month.

The June FOMC meeting minutes released last Wednesday revealed that Fed officials agreed on the need to be ready to act if inflation or other risks materialize. The latest CPI report further fueled market speculations that the Fed is moving towards tightening its monetary policy stance sooner than anticipated and provided an additional boost to the already stronger USD.

With the latest leg down, the GBP/USD pair has reversed a major part of its gains recorded last Friday. Some follow-through selling below the 1.3800 mark will be seen as a fresh trigger for bearish traders and set the stage for additional intraday losses.

Technical levels to watch

GBP/USD

Overview
Today last price1.3855
Today Daily Change-0.0032
Today Daily Change %-0.23
Today daily open1.3887
 
Trends
Daily SMA201.3881
Daily SMA501.402
Daily SMA1001.3944
Daily SMA2001.3678
 
Levels
Previous Daily High1.391
Previous Daily Low1.3839
Previous Weekly High1.3908
Previous Weekly Low1.3742
Previous Monthly High1.4249
Previous Monthly Low1.3787
Daily Fibonacci 38.2%1.3866
Daily Fibonacci 61.8%1.3883
Daily Pivot Point S11.3847
Daily Pivot Point S21.3808
Daily Pivot Point S31.3776
Daily Pivot Point R11.3918
Daily Pivot Point R21.3949
Daily Pivot Point R31.3989

Author

Haresh Menghani

Haresh Menghani is a detail-oriented professional with 10+ years of extensive experience in analysing the global financial markets.

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