Pound Sterling Price News and Forecast: GBP/USD remains confined in a narrow range for the second straight day

GBP/USD Price Analysis: Consolidates below 1.2700; 50/100-day SMAs confluence holds the key

The GBP/USD pair extends its sideways consolidative price move for the second straight day and remains confined in a narrow range below the 1.2700 mark during the Asian session on Wednesday. The lack of any meaningful buying, meanwhile, warrants some caution before positioning for an extension of the recent bounce from the 1.2625-1.2620 region, or the lowest level since mid-May touched last Friday.

Against the backdrop of the Federal Reserve's (Fed) hawkish surprise earlier this month, policymakers have backed the case for keeping interest rates higher for longer. The markets, however, are still pricing in a greater chance that the US central bank will start cutting interest rates in September, which keeps the US Dollar (USD) bulls on the defensive and acts as a tailwind for the GBP/USD pair. That said, the Bank of England's (BoE) dovish pause last week caps the upside for the British Pound (GBP) and the currency pair ahead of the UK general election on July 4. Read more...

GBP/USD middles as markets await a reason to move

GBP/USD treaded water on Tuesday as investors mostly stood pat with a lack of meaningful data to drive market bets in either direction. The pair drifted in a slow circle near the 1.2700 handle, with a data-light Wednesday on the offer for the mid-week market session.

Data was notably thin on the Tuesday market session with the UK absent from the data docket and US data strictly mid-tier. The Richmond Fed’s Manufacturing Index declined sharply to -10 in June, down sharply from the previous print of 0 and entirely missing the forecast increase to 2. The CB Consumer Confidence survey index also eased back, but not as much as expected as the sentiment indicator ticked down to 100.4 from the previous 102.0 but stopping just short of the forecast 100.0. Read more...