|

GBP/USD surges through 1.3920 supply zone, hits 2-week tops

   •  USD weighed down by unimpressive CPI/US political news.
   •  OBR upgrades UK GDP forecast for 2018 and underpins GBP.
   •  A follow-through buying needed to confirm a bullish breakout.

The GBP/USD pair caught some strong bids during the early NA session and rallied around 80-pips to 2-week tops. 

Against the backdrop of today's unimpressive US inflation figures, the latest US political development, wherein the US President Donald Trump fired the US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, prompted some aggressive US Dollar selling and supportive the pair's upsurge. 

The British Pound was further boosted by the latest Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR's) upgraded UK economic growth forecast for 2018. The up-move took along big stops placed near the 1.3910-20 region and further collaborated towards accelerating the pair's up-move. 

It, however, remains to be seen if the up-move is backed by genuine buying interest, suggesting a fresh bullish break-out, or turns to be a stop run, a possible fake-out, amid persistent worries around impending Brexit talks.

Technical levels to watch

A follow-through buying interest would reaffirm a fresh bullish breakout and should continue boosting the pair further towards reclaiming the key 1.40 psychological mark. On the flip side, the 1.3920-10 region now becomes an immediate support to defend, which if broken could accelerate the fall back towards 1.3880 horizontal support.
 

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
Share:

Editor's Picks

EUR/USD stays below 1.1850 after dismal German sentiment data

EUR/USD stays in negative territory below 1.1850 in the second half of the day on Tuesday. Renewed US Dollar strength, combined with a softer risk tone keep the pair undermined alongside downbeat German ZEW sentiment readings for February. 

GBP/USD falls toward 1.3550, pressured by weak UK jobs report

GBP/USD remains under bearish pressure and extends its decline below 1.3600 on Tuesday. The United Kingdom employment data suggested worsening labor market conditions, bolstering bets for a BoE interest rate cut next month and making it difficult for Pound Sterling to stay resilient against its peers.

Gold recovers modestly, stays deep in red below $4,950

Gold (XAU/USD) stages a rebound but remains deep in negative territory below $4,950 after touching its weakest level in over a week near $4,850 earlier in the day. Renewed US Dollar strength makes it difficult for XAU/USD to gather recovery momentum despite the risk-averse market atmosphere.

Canada CPI expected to show sticky inflation in January, still above BoC’s target

Economists see the headline CPI rising by 2.4% in a year to January, still above the BoC’s target and matching December’s increase. On a monthly basis, prices are expected to rise by 0.1%.

UK jobs market weakens, bolstering rate cut hopes

In the UK, the latest jobs report made for difficult reading. Nonetheless, this represents yet another reminder for the Bank of England that they need to act swiftly given the collapse in inflation expected over the coming months. 

Stellar mixed sentiment caps recovery

Stellar price remains under pressure, trading at $0.170 on Tuesday after failing to close above the key resistance on Sunday. The derivatives metric supports the bearish sentiment, with XLM’s short bets rising among traders and funding rates turning negative.