Pound Sterling trades firmly against Greenback on slowing US job demand
- The Pound Sterling rises to near 1.3500 against the US Dollar amid the US job market slowdown.
- The US government shutdown could escalate already weakening job conditions.
- BoE’s Breeden argues in favour of unwinding monetary policy restrictiveness.
The Pound Sterling (GBP) ticks up to near 1.3500 against the US Dollar (USD) during the European trading session on Thursday. The GBP/USD pair edges higher as the US Dollar (USD) remains on the backfoot, with the United States (US) job market slowing down and the government entering a shutdown.
At the time of writing, the US Dollar Index (DXY), which tracks the Greenback’s value against six major currencies, trades vulnerable near the weekly low around 97.50.
On Wednesday, the US ADP Employment Change report showed that the private sector labor force witnessed a reduction of 32K employees in September. Economists had anticipated that 50K fresh workers would be added in that period. Additionally, the report revealed that 3K employees were laid off in August compared to the fresh addition of 54K workers initially reported.
Signs of a cooling US job market have boosted expectations for more interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve (Fed) in the remainder of the year. According to the CME FedWatch tool, traders have almost fully priced in that the Fed will cut interest rates by 25 basis points (bps) to the 3.75%-4.00% range in the policy meeting later this month.
US Dollar Price Today
The table below shows the percentage change of US Dollar (USD) against listed major currencies today. US Dollar was the weakest against the New Zealand Dollar.
| USD | EUR | GBP | JPY | CAD | AUD | NZD | CHF | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USD | -0.22% | -0.00% | -0.23% | 0.05% | 0.09% | -0.33% | -0.19% | |
| EUR | 0.22% | 0.21% | -0.03% | 0.26% | 0.30% | 0.00% | 0.01% | |
| GBP | 0.00% | -0.21% | -0.22% | 0.02% | 0.12% | -0.20% | -0.18% | |
| JPY | 0.23% | 0.03% | 0.22% | 0.28% | 0.33% | -0.19% | 0.09% | |
| CAD | -0.05% | -0.26% | -0.02% | -0.28% | 0.03% | -0.21% | -0.23% | |
| AUD | -0.09% | -0.30% | -0.12% | -0.33% | -0.03% | -0.36% | -0.29% | |
| NZD | 0.33% | -0.00% | 0.20% | 0.19% | 0.21% | 0.36% | 0.17% | |
| CHF | 0.19% | -0.01% | 0.18% | -0.09% | 0.23% | 0.29% | -0.17% |
The heat map shows percentage changes of major currencies against each other. The base currency is picked from the left column, while the quote currency is picked from the top row. For example, if you pick the US Dollar from the left column and move along the horizontal line to the Japanese Yen, the percentage change displayed in the box will represent USD (base)/JPY (quote).
Daily digest market movers: BoE's Breeden warns of higher for longer interest rate risks
- The Pound Sterling demonstrates a mixed performance against its major peers on Thursday. However, the outlook of the British currency has become uncertain as Bank of England (BoE) officials have started expressing concerns over cooling United Kingdom (UK) economic prospects.
- On Tuesday, BoE Deputy Governor Sarah Breeden warned that tight monetary policy conditions could push inflation below their 2% target, which has been a major reason forcing officials to maintain a “gradual and careful” monetary easing outlook. “Risks in holding policy too tight for too long, could pull inflation below target,” Breeden said.
- The comments from Breeden signaling a turnaround in inflationary pressures could boost expectations of more interest rate cuts by the BoE in the near term.
- At the August policy meeting, the BoE stated that price pressures would peak around 4% in September. Meanwhile, one-year forward expected Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation by the UK firms has come in slightly higher to 3.5% in the quarter to September, according to the latest BoE Decision Maker Panel (DMP) quarterly survey
- In the US region, investors brace for further slowdown in the US job market as the White House has warned that they could announce mass lay-offs in the wake of the government shutdown. "Unfortunately, because the Democrats shut down the government, the president has directed his Cabinet and the Office of Management and Budget to work with agencies across the board to identify where cuts can be made, and we believe that layoffs are imminent," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said, Reuters reported.
- In Thursday’s session, the US Department of Labour is unlikely to post the Initial Jobless Claims data for the week ending September 27, as the government remains shut down at the time of writing.
Technical Analysis: Pound Sterling strives to return above 20-day EMA
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The Pound Sterling extends its winning streak against the US Dollar for the fifth trading day on Thursday. The GBP/USD pair strives to extend its upside above the 20-day Exponential Moving Average (EMA), which trades around 1.3485. The return of the Cable above the 20-day EMA will shift the near-term trend to positive.
However, the pair would remain sideways if the 14-day Relative Strength Index (RSI), currently at 50.61, stays in the 40.00-60.00 range.
Looking down, the August 1 low of 1.3140 will act as a key support zone. On the upside, the September 17 high of 1.3726 will act as a key barrier.
Fed FAQs
Monetary policy in the US is shaped by the Federal Reserve (Fed). The Fed has two mandates: to achieve price stability and foster full employment. Its primary tool to achieve these goals is by adjusting interest rates. When prices are rising too quickly and inflation is above the Fed’s 2% target, it raises interest rates, increasing borrowing costs throughout the economy. This results in a stronger US Dollar (USD) as it makes the US a more attractive place for international investors to park their money. When inflation falls below 2% or the Unemployment Rate is too high, the Fed may lower interest rates to encourage borrowing, which weighs on the Greenback.
The Federal Reserve (Fed) holds eight policy meetings a year, where the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) assesses economic conditions and makes monetary policy decisions. The FOMC is attended by twelve Fed officials – the seven members of the Board of Governors, the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, and four of the remaining eleven regional Reserve Bank presidents, who serve one-year terms on a rotating basis.
In extreme situations, the Federal Reserve may resort to a policy named Quantitative Easing (QE). QE is the process by which the Fed substantially increases the flow of credit in a stuck financial system. It is a non-standard policy measure used during crises or when inflation is extremely low. It was the Fed’s weapon of choice during the Great Financial Crisis in 2008. It involves the Fed printing more Dollars and using them to buy high grade bonds from financial institutions. QE usually weakens the US Dollar.
Quantitative tightening (QT) is the reverse process of QE, whereby the Federal Reserve stops buying bonds from financial institutions and does not reinvest the principal from the bonds it holds maturing, to purchase new bonds. It is usually positive for the value of the US Dollar.
Author
Sagar Dua
FXStreet
Sagar Dua is associated with the financial markets from his college days. Along with pursuing post-graduation in Commerce in 2014, he started his markets training with chart analysis.
