GBP/USD eases from tops, still well bid around 1.3820-25 area

GBP/USD regained positive traction on Wednesday and reversed the overnight losses.
Hotter-than-expected UK CPI report lifted the GBP amid a broad-based USD weakness.
Reports that the UK PM Johnson will reshuffle his cabinet capped the upside, for now.

Haresh Menghani FXStreet

The GBP/USD pair maintained its bid tone through the mid-European session, albeit has retreated few pips from daily tops and was last seen trading around the 1.3820-25 region.

Having shown some resilience below the 1.3800 round figure, the GBP/USD pair attracted some buying on Wednesday and stalled the previous day's sharp pullback from the highest level since August 8. The British pound was underpinned by hotter-than-expected UK consumer inflation figures. This, along with renewed US dollar weakness, provided an additional boost to the major.

The USD struggled to capitalize on the previous day's late rebound from the post-US CPI swing lows, instead met with some fresh supply amid reduced bets for an immediate Fed tapering move. This was evident from a softer tone around the US Treasury bond yields, which, along with the underlying bullish sentiment, undermined demand for the safe-haven greenback.

The uptick allowed the GBP/USD pair to reverse the overnight losses, though lacked bullish conviction amid reports that the UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson will reshuffle his cabinet later in the day. Hence, it will be prudent to wait for some follow-through buying before traders again start positioning for a further near-term appreciating move.

Traders now look forward to the US economic docket, featuring the releases of the Empire State Manufacturing Index, Industrial Production and Capacity Utilization Rate. This, along with the US bond yields and the broader market risk sentiment, might influence the USD price dynamics and produce some short-term trading opportunities around the GBP/USD pair.

Technical levels to watch

GBP/USD

Overview
Today last price	1.3824
Today Daily Change	0.0014
Today Daily Change %	0.10
Today daily open	1.381

Trends
Daily SMA20	1.377
Daily SMA50	1.3807
Daily SMA100	1.3916
Daily SMA200	1.383

Levels
Previous Daily High	1.3913
Previous Daily Low	1.3804
Previous Weekly High	1.3889
Previous Weekly Low	1.3726
Previous Monthly High	1.3958
Previous Monthly Low	1.3602
Daily Fibonacci 38.2%	1.3846
Daily Fibonacci 61.8%	1.3871
Daily Pivot Point S1	1.3771
Daily Pivot Point S2	1.3733
Daily Pivot Point S3	1.3662
Daily Pivot Point R1	1.3881
Daily Pivot Point R2	1.3952
Daily Pivot Point R3	1.399

Author

Haresh Menghani

FXStreet

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

EUR/USD flirts with weekly lows near 1.1770

EUR/USD now comes under further selling pressure, breaking below the 1.1800 support to challenge the area of weekly throughs near 1.1770 on Thursday. The pair’s decline comes in response to marked gains in the US Dollar amid steady geopolitical tensions. Ealier in the day, the ECB’s Lagarde delivered cautious remarks, although the currency remained apathetic.

GBP/USD threatens the 200-day SMA near 1.3440

GBP/USD rapidly leaves behind Wednesday’s strong advance, coming under heavy pressure and retesting the 1.3440 zone, where the critical 200-day SMA is located. Cable’s deep pullback follows the strong gains in the Greenback, while investors continue to pencil in a potential BoE rate cut in March.

Gold trims gains, slips back to around $5,170

Gold is now facing some downside pressure, hovering around the $5,170 region on Thursday. The yellow metal surrenders part of its earlier gains on the back of the resurgence of the buying interest in the Greenback. In the meantime, geopolitical tensions in the Middle East continue to limit the downside potential for now.