|

UK Preliminary Services PMI rises to 51.2 in January vs. 50.6 expected

  • UK Services PMI climbed to 51.2 in January, a positive surprise.
  • Manufacturing PMI in the UK jumped to 48.2 in January.
  • GBP/USD extends gains to near 1.2450 after UK business PMIs.

The seasonally adjusted S&P Global/CIPS UK Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) ticked higher to 48.2 in January from 47 in December. The data beat the market expectations of 47.1.

Meanwhile, the Preliminary UK Services Business Activity Index rose to 51.2 in January after recording 51.1 in December while coming in above the estimated 50.6 print.

FX implications

GBP/USD builds on the rebound to retest 1.2450 after the encouraging UK PMI data. The pair is adding 0.68% on the day, as of writing.

British Pound PRICE Today

The table below shows the percentage change of British Pound (GBP) against listed major currencies today. British Pound was the strongest against the US Dollar.

 USDEURGBPJPYCADAUDNZDCHF
USD -0.83%-0.66%-0.40%-0.34%-0.62%-0.74%-0.43%
EUR0.83% 0.17%0.42%0.50%0.21%0.09%0.40%
GBP0.66%-0.17% 0.27%0.32%0.04%-0.09%0.22%
JPY0.40%-0.42%-0.27% 0.05%-0.24%-0.36%-0.05%
CAD0.34%-0.50%-0.32%-0.05% -0.29%-0.41%-0.10%
AUD0.62%-0.21%-0.04%0.24%0.29% -0.12%0.16%
NZD0.74%-0.09%0.09%0.36%0.41%0.12% 0.30%
CHF0.43%-0.40%-0.22%0.05%0.10%-0.16%-0.30% 

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 British Pound from the left column and move along the horizontal line to the US Dollar, the percentage change displayed in the box will represent GBP (base)/USD (quote).

Author

Dhwani Mehta

Dhwani Mehta

FXStreet

Residing in Mumbai (India), Dhwani is a Senior Analyst and Manager of the Asian session at FXStreet. She has over 10 years of experience in analyzing and covering the global financial markets, with specialization in Forex and commodities markets.

More from Dhwani Mehta
Share:

Markets move fast. We move first.

Orange Juice Newsletter brings you expert driven insights - not headlines. Every day on your inbox.

By subscribing you agree to our Terms and conditions.

Editor's Picks

EUR/USD eyes 1.1800 barrier near two-month highs

EUR/USD extends its gains for the second consecutive day on Tuesday and approaches 1.1800. On the daily chart, technical analysis indicates a persistent bullish bias, as the pair moves upward within the ascending channel pattern. Additionally, the 14-day Relative Strength Index at 68.89 reaffirms the bullish bias.

GBP/USD climbs to 1.3500 area, renews ten-week high

GBP/USD extends its weekly rally and trades at its highest level since early October near 1.3500. The US Dollar remains under persistent bearish pressure heading into the holidays, while Pound traders largely brush off the latest interest rate cut from the Bank of England.

Gold approaches $4,500 as record-setting rally continues

Gold builds on Monday's impressive gains and advances toward $4,500, setting fresh record-highs along the way. Heightened geopolitical tensions, combined with the broad-based US Dollar (USD) weakness ahead of the Q3 GDP data, help XAU/USD preserve its bullish momentum.

Uniswap holds above $6 as traders eye UNIfication vote outcome

Uniswap price holds above $6 at the time of writing on Tuesday after closing above a key resistance zone in the previous week. Traders are focusing on the highly anticipated UNIfication proposal, which is set to conclude on Thursday, and could become a key near-term catalyst. On the technical side, momentum indicators are flashing bullish signals, hinting at an upside rally.

Ten questions that matter going into 2026

2026 may be less about a neat “base case” and more about a regime shift—the market can reprice what matters most (growth, inflation, fiscal, geopolitics, concentration). The biggest trap is false comfort: the same trades can look defensive… right up until they become crowded.

XRP steadies above $1.90 support as fund inflows and retail demand rise

Ripple (XRP) is stable above support at $1.90 at the time of writing on Monday, after several attempts to break above the $2.00 hurdle failed to materialize last week. Meanwhile, institutional interest in the cross-border remittance token has remained steady.