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GBP/USD slides further below mid-1.2100s, fresh session lows

  • Persistent fears of a no-deal Brexit continued denting sentiment surrounding the GBP.
  • A subdued USD demand – amid a slump in the US bond yields – fails to lend any support.

The GBP/USD pair traded with a mild negative bias through the mid-European session on Wednesday and is currently placed at the lower end of its daily trading range, just below mid-1.2100s.
 
Having failed to capitalize on the previous session's attempted recovery move to levels just above the 1.2200 handle, the pair met with some fresh supply on Wednesday. Persistent uncertainty surrounding Britain's exit from the European Union seemed to be one of the key factors holding investors from buying the British Pound and kept exerting some pressure on the major.
 
As Yohay Elam, FXStreet's own Analyst explained, “PM Boris Johnson's government has reiterated its rejection of the thorny Irish backstop while the bloc says it cannot be dropped. Fears of a hard Brexit are growing as Dominic Cummings – Johnson's de-facto chief of staff and the mastermind of the Vote Leave campaign – is reportedly pushing to bypass parliament in order to ram through a no-deal exit.”
 
Market concerns were further fueled by Irish finance minister Paschal Donohoe's comments on Wednesday saying that backstop has to be in the Brexit withdrawal agreement and that there is a growing and material risk of a no-deal Brexit, which further dented the already weaker sentiment surrounding the British Pound and collaborated to the pair's offered tone.
 
Meanwhile, a subdued US Dollar price action - amid a fresh leg of a free-fall in the US Treasury bond yields – did little to influence the price action, albeit might help limit any further downside. From a technical perspective, the pair has now moved on the verge of a fresh near-term bearish breakdown, which if confirmed might set the stage for a further downfall towards challenging the key 1.20 psychological mark.
 
Moving ahead, a scheduled speech by Chicago Fed President Charles Evans might influence the USD price dynamics and further collaborate towards producing some short-term trading opportunities in absence of any major market-moving economic releases - either from the UK or the US.

Technical levels to watch

GBP/USD

Overview
Today last price1.2143
Today Daily Change-0.0025
Today Daily Change %-0.21
Today daily open1.2168
 
Trends
Daily SMA201.2369
Daily SMA501.2533
Daily SMA1001.2759
Daily SMA2001.2834
Levels
Previous Daily High1.221
Previous Daily Low1.2134
Previous Weekly High1.2384
Previous Weekly Low1.208
Previous Monthly High1.2706
Previous Monthly Low1.2119
Daily Fibonacci 38.2%1.2181
Daily Fibonacci 61.8%1.2163
Daily Pivot Point S11.2131
Daily Pivot Point S21.2094
Daily Pivot Point S31.2055
Daily Pivot Point R11.2208
Daily Pivot Point R21.2247
Daily Pivot Point R31.2284

Author

Haresh Menghani

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

More from Haresh Menghani
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