Pound Sterling Price News and Forecast: GBP/USD holds gains near 1.2600 in quiet US holiday trade

EUR/USD edges higher after registering gains in the previous six successive sessions, trading around 1.1650 during the Asian hours on Monday. The pair appreciates as the US Dollar struggles amid dovish Federal Reserve expectations. Friday’s slower-than-expected US jobs growth suggests the US central bank could hold interest rates steady later this month.

The GBP/USD pair attracts some buyers near a technically significant 200-day Simple Moving Average (SMA) and recovers slightly from a nearly three-week low, touched during the Asian session on Monday. Spot prices, for now, seem to have snapped a four-day losing streak and currently trade around the 1.3435 region, up 0.20% for the day.

Gold retreats from fresh record highs of $4,601 in the Asian session on Monday. Reports that US President Donald Trump is weighing a series of potential military options in Iran fuel the risk of a further escalation of geopolitical tensions will likely keep Gold underpinned despite the latest profit-taking pullback. 

Geopolitics may try to steal the limelight from US data. A possible US Supreme Court ruling on tariffs could dictate market movements. Dollar strength might be tested if investors refocus on Fed expectations. A crammed data calendar next week, US CPI comes on Tuesday; Fedspeak to intensify. Euro weakness persists, lingering risk of deterioration in US-EU relations.

As an aggregate, key economic indicators point towards the global economy growing further in out 2026 Economic and Market outlook. In particular, the G20 countries, which account for roughly 80% of the total global GDP are projected to grow by 2.9% next year.

XRP presses down on the 50-day EMA support as risk-averse sentiment spreads despite a positive start to 2026. XRP faces declining retail demand, as reflected in futures Open Interest, which has fallen to $4.15 billion.