Pound Sterling Price News and Forecast: GBP/USD kicks off the new week on a subdued note

FXStreet Team FXStreet

GBP/USD holds steady above 1.2400; upside potential seems limited amid bullish USD

The GBP/USD pair struggles to capitalize on Friday's modest recovery gains and oscillates in a range, above the 1.2400 mark at the start of a new week. Spot prices, meanwhile, remain close to the lowest level since April 2024 touched last week and seem vulnerable to prolonging over a three-month-old downtrend on the back of a bullish US Dollar (USD).

In fact, the USD Index (DXY), which tracks the Greenback against a basket of currencies, stands firm near a two-year high amid the optimism over US President-elect Donald Trump's expansionary policies and the Federal Reserve's (Fed) hawkish outlook. Adding to this concerns over Trump’s sweeping tariffs, along with geopolitical risks stemming from the Russia-Ukraine war and rising tensions in the Middle East, underpins the safe-haven buck and act as a headwind for the GBP/USD pair. Read more...

GBP/USD catches a thin rebound on Friday

GBP/USD found a thin recovery on Friday, gaining roughly four-tenths of one percent and ending the first trading week of 2025 back above the 1.2400 handle. UK macroeconomic and consumer credit data broadly missed the mark early on Friday, but the low-tier figures barely registered on the needle. On the US side, US business activity survey results helped to keep investor sentiment on the hopeful side, keeping risk appetite on the high side.

US ISM Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) activity surveys came in higher than expected for December, climbing to 49.3 versus the expected hold at 48.4. It’s the highest print in the key manufacturing activity indicator in nine months, However not all is rosy in the manufacturing outlook: The ISM Manufacturing Employment Index and the ISM Manufacturing Prices Paid index prints in December both missed expectations,implying producer-level inflation is still rising beneath the surface and businesses are still trimming more jobs than expected. Read more...

Author

FXStreet Team

FXStreet

EUR/USD climbs to daily highs near 1.1820

EUR/USD now picks up pace and advances to the area of daily peaks north of the 1.1800 barrier at the end of the week. The pair’s decent move higher comes against the backdrop of a generalised lack of direction in the FX galaxy and the mild offered stance in the US Dollar.

GBP/USD trims losses, retests 1.3460

After briefly challenging its key 200-day SMA near 1.3440, GBP/USD now manages to regain some balance and revisit the 1.3460 zone on Friday. Cable’s pullback comes as the selling pressure on the Greenback gathers traction, reigniting some recovery in the risk-linked space.

Gold flirts with four-week highs past $5,200

Gold extends its rebound, climbing for a third consecutive session and pushing back above the $5,200 mark per troy ounce on Friday. The move higher continues to draw support from lingering geopolitical tensions and the ongoing uncertainty surrounding US trade policy, both of which are keeping safe-haven demand firmly in play.

Bitcoin, Ethereum and Ripple consolidate with short-term cautious bullish bias

Bitcoin, Ethereum and Ripple are consolidating near key technical areas on Friday, showing mild signs of stabilization after recent volatility. BTC holds above $67,000 despite mild losses so far this week, while ETH hovers around $2,000 after a rejection near its upper consolidation boundary.

Breaking: US and Israel attack Iran, risk aversion to sweep global markets

Early Saturday, United States (US) President Donald Trump announced that the US had begun “major combat operations” in Iran, following Israel’s pre-emptive missile attacks against Tehran.

Starknet unveils strkBTC, shielded Bitcoin transactions on Ethereum Layer 2

Starknet, the Ethereum Layer 2 network developed by StarkWare, today announced strkBTC, a wrapped Bitcoin asset that introduces optional shielding while preserving full DeFi composability.