|

GBP/USD making another run at 1.3250 ahead of a thin Monday

  • Sterling seeing soft action in early Monday trading after last week's hefty Brexit drama.
  • The week's action won't officially begin in earnest until  Tuesday's Average Earnings figures.

The GBP/USD is trading softly near 1.3250 ahead of a thinned-out schedule for Monday.

The Sterling sees a notable lack of impactful economic data for Monday, but ongoing Brexit concerns, as well as the US President's recent trip to the UK, will be giving traders plenty to digest as they head into the new week.

Last week saw Brexit woes come to a head when several key Brexiteers within the UK's parliament resigned from their posts within the government's Brexit ministry in protest over Prime Minister Theresa May's latest 'third option' Brexit proposal, a Hail Mary attempt to meet both hard-line leavers within the UK and EU leaders in Brussels in the middle. Neither side looks set to be particularly happy with the proposals, and the future of Brexit continues to look like a murky mess, and UK businesses are increasingly concerned that economic uncertainty will begin to hamper their growth.

The release of the Brexit White Paper late last week also saw a fresh round of resignations from starry-eyed Brexiteers, and Prime Minister Theresa May is beginning to flash warnings of there simply not being a Brexit if hard-liners don't begin to play ball.

US President Trump visited the UK over the weekend, and was greeted by a series of protests and demonstrations, while PM May noted to the BBC that Trump's advice on Brexit may not be a desirable route for her to take.

Sterling traders will be looking forwards to Tuesday, when Average Earnings figures will be dropping at 08:30 GMT, and bulls will be looking for some good news after being hammered by Brexit woes. Earnings with bonuses are expected to hold steady at 2.5% over the previous quarter, while baseline earnings without bonuses are anticipated at 2.7%, a slight decline from the previous quarter's 2.8%.

GBP/USD Levels to watch

As noted by FXStreet's own Valeria Bednarik, "technically, however, the upward potential remains limited according to technical readings in the daily chart, as the pair hovers around a flat 20 SMA while technical indicators are stuck to their midlines, now aiming higher but with no actual strength. Shorter term, and according to the 4 hours chart, technical indicators lost upward strength around their midlines after correcting oversold conditions, while the price settled a few pips above a mild bearish 20 SMA, also indicating limited buying interest."

Support levels: 1.3180 1.3155 1.3110

Resistance levels: 1.3240 1.3285 1.3320  

Author

Joshua Gibson

Joshua joins the FXStreet team as an Economics and Finance double major from Vancouver Island University with twelve years' experience as an independent trader focusing on technical analysis.

More from Joshua Gibson
Share:

Editor's Picks

EUR/USD hovers around 1.1850 ahead of FOMC Minutes

EUR/USD stays on the back foot around 1.1850 in the European session on Wednesday, pressured by renewed US Dollar demand. Traders now look forward to the Minutes of the Fed's January monetary policy meeting for fresh signals on future rate cuts. 

GBP/USD defends 1.3550 after UK inflation data

GBP/USD is holding above 1.3550 in Wednesday's European morning, little changed following the UK Consumer Price Index (CPI) data release. The UK inflation eased as expected in January, reaffirming bets for a March BoE interest rate cut, especially after Tuesday's weak employment report. 

Gold retains bullish bias amid Fed rate cut bets, ahead of Fed Minutes

Gold sticks to modest intraday gains through the early European session, reversing a major part of the previous day's heavy losses of more than 2%, to the $4,843-4,842 region or a nearly two-week low. That said, the fundamental backdrop warrants caution for bulls ahead of the FOMC Minutes, which will look for more cues about the US Federal Reserve's rate-cut path. 

Pi Network rally defies market pressure ahead of its first anniversary

Pi Network is trading above $0.1900 at press time on Wednesday, extending the weekly gains by nearly 8% so far. The steady recovery is supported by a short-term pause in mainnet migration, which reduces pressure on the PI token supply for Centralized Exchanges. The technical outlook focuses on the $0.1919 resistance as bullish momentum increases.

Mixed UK inflation data no gamechanger for the Bank of England

Food inflation plunged in January, but service sector price pressure is proving stickier. We continue to expect Bank of England rate cuts in March and June. The latest UK inflation read is a mixed bag for the Bank of England, but we doubt it drastically changes the odds of a March rate cut.

Top 3 Price Prediction: Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Ripple face downside risk as bears regain control

Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Ripple remain under pressure on Wednesday, with the broader trend still sideways. BTC is edging below $68,000, nearing the lower consolidating boundary, while ETH and XRP also declined slightly, approaching their key supports.