|

GBP/USD retreats after flirting with 1.2800

  • The US Nonfarm Payrolls report showed the economy added 227K new jobs in November.
  • The Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index jumped to 74 in December.
  • The GBP/USD pair turned negative and approaches 1.2700.

The US Dollar (USD) fell following the release of the United States (US) Nonfarm Payrolls (NFP) report, pushing GBP/USD to a fresh one-month high of 1.2810. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the country added 227,000 new job positions in November, beating the 200,000 expected.

Additionally, the Unemployment Rate ticked up to 4.2% in November from 4.1%, meeting expectations. The Labor Force Participation Rate edged lower to 62.5%, while the annual wage inflation, as measured by the change in the Average Hourly Earnings, held steady at 4%, coming in above the market forecast of 3.9%.

The US Dollar, however, trimmed losses and gained momentum after the release of the preliminary estimate of the December US Consumer Sentiment Index, which jumped to 74 from the previous 71.8 while beating the expected 73.

Odds for an interest rate cut from the Federal Reserve (Fed) jumped after US data, pushing stocks and the Greenback higher.

GBP/USD Technical Outlook

The British Pound turned negative against the USD on a daily basis, with the pair hovering around 1.2700. The 200-day Simple Moving Average (SMA) attracted sellers, currently standing at around 1.2820. The 20-day SMA, on the other hand, maintains its bearish slope below the current level at 1.2690, the immediate support en route to the 1.2650 price zone. 

Author

FXStreet Team

Composed of a group of economic journalists and FX experts, the FXStreet content team produces and oversees all content published on FXStreet. It provides a purely journalistic approach to the Forex market.

More from FXStreet Team
Share:

Editor's Picks

GBP/USD holds above 1.3350 with the 200-day SMA capping gains

The British Pound appreciates against the US Dollar on Tuesday to trim previous losses and return to the 1.3375 area, aiming to retest resistance at the key 200-day Simple Moving Average. This is a popular indicator, which lies a few pips below 1.3400 and has been capping Pound’s recovery over the last two weeks.

EUR/USD surrenders some gains, back to 1.1440

EUR/USD now gives away part of the earlier advance and recedes toward thre 1.1440 zone on Tuesday. The pair’s firm uptick comes in response to the marked sell-off in the US Dollar, which has intensified after US inflation figures disappointed expectations in June and investors has assessed Chair Warsh’s testimony.

Gold battles to recover the $4,100 mark

Gold reverses the recent weakness and reclaims the area beyond the key $4,000 mark per troy ounce on Tuesday. The precious metal’s recovery picks up pace and approaches the $4,100 region following the Greenback’s decline and comments from the Fed’s Warsh.

Crypto Today: Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP extend sideways trading amid ETF outflows, US-Iran war escalation

Bitcoin hovers around $62,500 amid prevalent sideways trading. Meanwhile, major altcoins such as Ethereum and Ripple are holding above crucial support levels at $1,700 and $1.05, respectively, reflecting ongoing consolidation across the crypto sector.

Fed Chair Warsh reaffirms they will deliver price stability

While testifying on the Semiannual Monetary Policy Report before the US House Financial Services Committee, Fed Chairman Kevin Warsh reiterated that the Fed is making a commitment on price stability and the goal of 2% inflation.

Five sessions, one round trip: Why the whipsaw is exactly what Warsh ordered

Markets opened July with a December hike as the base case and spent five trading sessions unlearning and relearning it. A 57K payrolls print bled the tightening bets out of the strip; a re-shut Strait of Hormuz is pushing them back in. Wednesday's minutes from the June FOMC meeting landed mid-round-trip, describing a world that had already stopped existing.