Pound Sterling bounces back against US Dollar despite Trump’s tariffs on automobiles
- The Pound Sterling gains to near 1.2925 against the US Dollar, while investors ignore fresh tariffs by US President Trump on auto imports.
- Fed Kashkari supports leaving interest rates at their current levels for an extended period.
- UK Reeves cuts welfare benefits and remains committed to her fiscal agenda.
The Pound Sterling (GBP) recovers strongly to near 1.2925 against the US Dollar (USD) during European trading hours on Thursday. The GBP/USD pair bounces back after a slight corrective move in the last five trading days from the four-month high of around 1.3000. The Cable rebounds as the US Dollar retraces even though United States (US) President Donald Trump has imposed 25% tariffs on all imports of automobiles and their components.
The US Dollar Index (DXY), which tracks the Greenback’s value against six major currencies, corrects to near 104.30 from a three-week high around 104.70 posted earlier in the day.
Theoretically, fresh tariffs by US President Trump should have dampened investors’ risk appetite, but market participants expect that higher levies will also impact US economic growth significantly. The impact of higher tariffs will be borne by US importers, who will pass them on to consumers. Such a scenario will diminish the purchasing power of households.
On the monetary policy front, Minneapolis Federal Reserve (Fed) Bank President Neel Kashkari has guided that the central bank should keep interest rates in the current range of 4.25%-4.50%. "Policy uncertainty is complicating the Fed's job," Kashkari said at the Detroit Lakes Chamber Economic Summit on Wednesday. Kashkari added that a potential resurgence in inflation due to Trump’s policies would boost the need for higher interest rates, while its consequences on economic growth will support monetary policy easing. Together, those forces are "kind of a wash," Kashkari added.
Going forward, investors will focus on the US Personal Consumption Expenditures Price Index (PCE) data for February, which will be released on Friday. The impact of the inflation data is expected to be limited on the interest rate outlook as the fate of the Fed’s monetary policy is tied to the outcome of Trump’s economic policies.
Daily digest market movers: Pound Sterling rises against its peers
- The Pound Sterling trades higher against its major peers on Thursday after recovering most of Wednesday’s losses driven by a softer-than-expected United Kingdom (UK) Consumer Price Index (CPI) data for February and a reduction in welfare benefits announced by Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves in the Spring Statement.
- The UK CPI report showed that inflationary pressures rose at a slower-than-expected pace due to moderate growth in clothing and footwear prices. The headline and the core CPI grew by 2.8% and 3.5% year-over-year, respectively. The Service inflation, which is closely tracked by Bank of England (BoE) officials, rose steadily by 5%. Cooling inflation bodes poorly for the Pound Sterling as it can drive BoE dovish bets.
- As promised, Chancellor Reeves didn’t announce any tax raise, reiterated fiscal rules as non-negotiable, and confirmed a £2.2bn increase in defence spending amid uncertainty surrounding the Ukraine war. Reeves said that she would rebuild a nearly 10 billion-pound fiscal buffer and conveyed that amendments in welfare spending would save £4.8 billion.
- Reeves confirmed a significant downward revision in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
- growth rate for the year and said that the Office for Business Responsibility (OBR) has halved growth forecasts to 1%. However, the fiscal watchdog raised growth forecasts for the next four years.
- Going forward, investors will focus on the UK Q4 GDP data and the Retail Sales data for February, which will be published on Friday.
Technical Analysis: Pound Sterling finds support near 20-day EMA
The Pound Sterling rebounds against the US Dollar after finding buying interest near the 20-day Exponential Moving Average (EMA), which trades around 1.2873. The GBP/USD pair attempts to stabilize around the 61.8% Fibonacci retracement, plotted from late-September high to mid-January low, at 1.2930.
The 14-day Relative Strength Index (RSI) cools down to near 60.00 after turning overbought above 70.00. Should a fresh bullish momentum come into action if the RSI resumes the upside journey after holding above 60.00.
Looking down, the 50% Fibonacci retracement at 1.2770 and the 38.2% Fibonacci retracement at 1.2615 will act as key support zones for the pair. On the upside, the October 15 high of 1.3100 will act as a key resistance zone.
Pound Sterling FAQs
The Pound Sterling (GBP) is the oldest currency in the world (886 AD) and the official currency of the United Kingdom. It is the fourth most traded unit for foreign exchange (FX) in the world, accounting for 12% of all transactions, averaging $630 billion a day, according to 2022 data. Its key trading pairs are GBP/USD, also known as ‘Cable’, which accounts for 11% of FX, GBP/JPY, or the ‘Dragon’ as it is known by traders (3%), and EUR/GBP (2%). The Pound Sterling is issued by the Bank of England (BoE).
The single most important factor influencing the value of the Pound Sterling is monetary policy decided by the Bank of England. The BoE bases its decisions on whether it has achieved its primary goal of “price stability” – a steady inflation rate of around 2%. Its primary tool for achieving this is the adjustment of interest rates. When inflation is too high, the BoE will try to rein it in by raising interest rates, making it more expensive for people and businesses to access credit. This is generally positive for GBP, as higher interest rates make the UK a more attractive place for global investors to park their money. When inflation falls too low it is a sign economic growth is slowing. In this scenario, the BoE will consider lowering interest rates to cheapen credit so businesses will borrow more to invest in growth-generating projects.
Data releases gauge the health of the economy and can impact the value of the Pound Sterling. Indicators such as GDP, Manufacturing and Services PMIs, and employment can all influence the direction of the GBP. A strong economy is good for Sterling. Not only does it attract more foreign investment but it may encourage the BoE to put up interest rates, which will directly strengthen GBP. Otherwise, if economic data is weak, the Pound Sterling is likely to fall.
Another significant data release for the Pound Sterling is the Trade Balance. This indicator measures the difference between what a country earns from its exports and what it spends on imports over a given period. If a country produces highly sought-after exports, its currency will benefit purely from the extra demand created from foreign buyers seeking to purchase these goods. Therefore, a positive net Trade Balance strengthens a currency and vice versa for a negative balance.