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GBP/USD drops to two-month lows and rebounds, finds some support ahead 1.2700 mark

  • GBP/USD witnessed some heavy selling for the third consecutive session on Tuesday.
  • Fears of renewed lockdown measures in the UK continued weighing on the sterling.
  • BoE Governor Bailey’s comments did little to impress bulls or provide any respite.

The GBP/USD pair dropped to near two-month lows, around the 1.2725 region during the early European session, albeit managed to defend the very important 200-day SMA and quickly retreated few pips thereafter. 

The pair extended its recent rejection slide from the key 1.3000 psychological mark and remained under some selling pressure for the third consecutive session on Tuesday. The British Pound retained its softer bias across the board amid fears a new nationwide lockdown aimed at stemming the second wave of coronavirus infections.

In fact, British Cabinet Minister Michael Gove said that new restrictions will be imposed in the UK and Prime Minister Boris Johnson will spell out further details later today. Gove further urged people to work from home if possible. This comes amid persistent Brexit anxieties, which further contributed to the weakness surrounding the sterling.

The GBP/USD pair had a rather muted reaction the BoE Governor Andrew Bailey's comments that the UK economic recovery has been quite rapid and substantial, though is very uneven. Bailey acknowledged that labour demand is weak and unemployment is higher than the reported number. Investment is also very weak, but the housing market is strong Bailey added further.

On the other hand, the US dollar added to the previous day's strong gains and remained well supported by the prevalent risk-off environment. Meanwhile, the latest leg of a fall over the past hour or so could further be attributed to some technical selling below the previous swing lows support near the 1.2765-60 region.

In the absence of any major market-moving economic releases, the latest developments surrounding the virus situation will play a key role in driving the broader market risk sentiment. This, in turn, might influence the USD price dynamics and produce some trading opportunities ahead of the Fed Chair Jerome Powell's congressional testimony.

Technical levels to watch

GBP/USD

Overview
Today last price1.2734
Today Daily Change-0.0083
Today Daily Change %-0.65
Today daily open1.2817
 
Trends
Daily SMA201.3087
Daily SMA501.3005
Daily SMA1001.2719
Daily SMA2001.2727
 
Levels
Previous Daily High1.2967
Previous Daily Low1.2776
Previous Weekly High1.3007
Previous Weekly Low1.2777
Previous Monthly High1.3396
Previous Monthly Low1.2982
Daily Fibonacci 38.2%1.2849
Daily Fibonacci 61.8%1.2894
Daily Pivot Point S11.2739
Daily Pivot Point S21.2662
Daily Pivot Point S31.2548
Daily Pivot Point R11.293
Daily Pivot Point R21.3044
Daily Pivot Point R31.3122

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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