|

GBP/USD rallies into upper 1.2500s amid pre-month-end buck profit-taking

  • GBP/USD has rebounded about 1.0% into the upper 1.2500s amid pre-month-end selling pressure in the US dollar.  
  • Focus now turns to next week’s Fed and BoE meetings, which could pose downside risks to the pair.
  • GBP/USD rallies, for now, may remain vulnerable to being sold.

Pre-month-end profit-taking in the US dollar, which has up until this point been on a rampage higher in recent weeks against most of its major counterparts, is being attributed as the main factor giving GBP/USD a lift on Friday. The pair was last trading in the 1.2575 region, up about 1.0% on the day and over 1.3% higher versus Thursday’s intra-day lows at 1.2410.

But the pair’s latest rebound comes as little consolation for the deflated GBP/USD bulls, with cable still set to end the week with losses of about 2.0% and the month with losses of about 4.25%. That would mark GBP/USD’s joint-worst one-month performance since July 2019.

Upcoming US Core PCE inflation data for March at 1330BST will be of interest and is likely to reaffirm the scale of the inflation problem currently plaguing the US economy. Focus then turns to next week’s Fed and BoE meetings which, a cursory examination of which would seem to imply downside risks for GBP/USD.

After all, the Fed seems increasingly tilting towards the need to take rates above so-called neutral to control inflation, which the BoE has been coming across as more concerns about weak UK growth as of late, seemingly weakening their resolve to tighten. As a result, any further GBP/USD rebound might well be viewed as a good opportunity to sell. Resistance in the 1.2675 area looks may attract particular attention from the bears.

GBP/Usd

Overview
Today last price1.2583
Today Daily Change0.0127
Today Daily Change %1.02
Today daily open1.2456
 
Trends
Daily SMA201.2951
Daily SMA501.3127
Daily SMA1001.3308
Daily SMA2001.3479
 
Levels
Previous Daily High1.257
Previous Daily Low1.2411
Previous Weekly High1.309
Previous Weekly Low1.2823
Previous Monthly High1.3438
Previous Monthly Low1.3
Daily Fibonacci 38.2%1.2472
Daily Fibonacci 61.8%1.2509
Daily Pivot Point S11.2388
Daily Pivot Point S21.232
Daily Pivot Point S31.223
Daily Pivot Point R11.2547
Daily Pivot Point R21.2638
Daily Pivot Point R31.2706

Author

Joel Frank

Joel Frank

Independent Analyst

Joel Frank is an economics graduate from the University of Birmingham and has worked as a full-time financial market analyst since 2018, specialising in the coverage of how developments in the global economy impact financial asset

More from Joel Frank
Share:

Editor's Picks

GBP/USD extends recovery, trades above 1.3200

GBP/USD holds on to modest gains above 1.3200 on Friday, building on gains seen in the previous day. Still, Cable struggles to build on its recovery as cautious market sentiment keeps investors focused on the US-Iran conflict and ongoing volatility in global technology stocks.

EUR/USD pops to daily highs near 1.1420

EUR/USD extends Thursday's recovery and climbs past the 1.1400 yardstick at the end of the week. The pair’s recovery comes as the US Dollar remains on the back foot, while investors continue to monitor developments in the Middle East and sentiment surrounding global technology stocks.

Gold advances to two-day highs, targets $4,100

Gold trades in a tight range above $4,000 per troy ounce on Friday, adding to the recent recovery. The precious metal, however, finds it difficult to attract fresh buyers as expectations for a hawkish Fed continue to strengthen.

Crypto Today: Bitcoin at $60,000, Ethereum at $1,500, and XRP at $1 face a make-or-break test

Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), and Ripple (XRP) are trading in the red on Friday after three consecutive days of losses, testing their respective make-or-break support levels.

Week ahead – NFP report to challenge Dollar strength and the hawkish Fed

Dollar strength dominates markets, as the hawkish Fed overshadows geopolitics and lower oil prices. NFP week could drive September Fed hike expectations and boost market volatility. The euro lacks fresh bullish catalysts, all eyes on the preliminary inflation report and the ECB Forum.

Regime change: Inside Kevin Warsh's first move to make the Fed unreadable on purpose

The rate did not move. That was the least interesting thing about Kevin Warsh's first meeting in charge of the Fed. The FOMC held its benchmark at 3.50%-3.75% for the fourth straight meeting, exactly as priced, and then the new chair used his first press conference to dismantle the machinery the market has leaned on for a decade.