- GBP/USD witnessed fresh selling on Tuesday and eroded a part of the overnight strong gains.
- The Fed’s hawkish turn, rebounding US bond yields underpinned the USD and exerted pressure.
- The downside is likely to remain limited as the focus remains on the BoE meeting on Thursday.
The GBP/USD pair maintained its offered tone heading into the European session and was last seen hovering near the lower end of its daily trading range, around the 1.3900 mark.
The pair struggled to capitalize on the previous day's strong intraday rally of nearly 150 pips from two-month lows and faced rejection near 100-day SMA on Tuesday. Following the previous day's modest pullback, the US dollar was back in demand and remained well supported by the Fed's sudden hawkish turn last week. This, in turn, was seen as a key factor that exerted some fresh downward pressure on the GBP/USD pair.
It is worth recalling that the Fed surprised investors at the end of June policy meeting and brought forward its timetable for the first post-pandemic interest rate hikes. The so-called dot plot pointed to two rate hikes by the end of 2023 as against policymakers projection for no increase until 2024 in the March meeting. This, along with the overnight solid rebound in the US Treasury bond yields, underpinned the USD.
On the other hand, concerns about the EU-UK collision over Norther Ireland protocol held traders from placing aggressive bullish bets around the British pound. Adding to this, worries that the decision to delay the final stage of easing lockdown measures could hinder the nascent UK economic recovery further undermined the sterling. That said, expectations for a hawkish tilt from the Bank of England should help limit the downside.
Hence, the key focus will remain on the upcoming BoE meeting on Thursday. This makes it prudent to wait for some strong follow-through selling before traders start positioning for any further depreciating move amid absent relevant UK economic data. Meanwhile, the US economic docket – featuring the second-tier releases of Existing Home Sales and Richmond Manufacturing Index, might also do little to provide any impetus to the GBP/USD pair.
Technical levels to watch
Information on these pages contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Markets and instruments profiled on this page are for informational purposes only and should not in any way come across as a recommendation to buy or sell in these assets. You should do your own thorough research before making any investment decisions. FXStreet does not in any way guarantee that this information is free from mistakes, errors, or material misstatements. It also does not guarantee that this information is of a timely nature. Investing in Open Markets involves a great deal of risk, including the loss of all or a portion of your investment, as well as emotional distress. All risks, losses and costs associated with investing, including total loss of principal, are your responsibility. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of FXStreet nor its advertisers. The author will not be held responsible for information that is found at the end of links posted on this page.
If not otherwise explicitly mentioned in the body of the article, at the time of writing, the author has no position in any stock mentioned in this article and no business relationship with any company mentioned. The author has not received compensation for writing this article, other than from FXStreet.
FXStreet and the author do not provide personalized recommendations. The author makes no representations as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability of this information. FXStreet and the author will not be liable for any errors, omissions or any losses, injuries or damages arising from this information and its display or use. Errors and omissions excepted.
The author and FXStreet are not registered investment advisors and nothing in this article is intended to be investment advice.
Recommended content
Editors’ Picks
AUD/USD holds above 0.6500 in thin trading
The Australian Dollar managed to recover ground against its American rival after AUD/USD fell to 0.6484. The upbeat tone of Wall Street underpinned the Aussie despite broad US Dollar strength and tepid Australian data.
EUR/USD comfortable below 1.0800 lower lows at sight
The EUR/USD pair lost ground on Thursday and settled near a fresh March low of 1.0774. Strong US data and hawkish Fed speakers comments lead the way ahead of the release of the US PCE Price Index on Friday.
Gold price finishes Thursday’s session set to reach new all-time highs
Gold price rallied during the North American session on Thursday and hit a new all-time high of $2,225 in the mid-North American session. Precious metal prices are trending higher even though US Treasury yields are advancing, underpinning the Greenback.
Google starts indexing Bitcoin addresses
Bitcoin address data is live on Google search results after users realized on Thursday that the tech giant started indexing Bitcoin blockchain data. However, mixed reactions have followed the tech giant's reversed stance on the cryptocurrency.
A Hollywood ending for fourth quarter GDP
The latest revisions put Q4 GDP at 3.4%, the second fastest quarterly growth rate in two years. Much of the upside was attributable to stronger consumer spending, yet fresh profits data affirmed it was a good quarter for the bottom line as well with profits up by the most since the Q2-2022.