British Pound underperforms as traders reconsider BoE interest rate hike bets
The British Pound (GBP) is down against its major currency peers, trading marginally lower at around 1.3444 against the US Dollar (USD) during the European trading session on Friday. The British currency faces selling pressure as financial markets reconsider Bank of England (BoE) interest rate expectations for the September policy meeting after the monetary policy announcement on Thursday.
Analysts at Deutsche Bank stress that the BoE was not “edging towards a rate hike” at its latest meeting, despite the split vote on the MPC. They note that markets “dialed back expectations for BoE hikes in response,” with the implied probability of a September move dropping from 60% to 30%. In parallel, Deutsche Bank highlights that “31bps of hikes [were] priced by year-end (-11.4bps on the day),” underscoring how investors reassessed the near-term tightening path following the Bank’s communication. Read more…
GBP/USD Price Forecast: Weakens below 1.3450 while technical uptrend stays intact
The GBP/USD pair trades in negative territory around 1.3445 during the early European trading hours on Friday. Heightened Middle East tensions and rising global oil prices provide some support to a safe-haven currency such as the US Dollar (USD) against the British Pound (GBP). The Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index will be published later on Friday.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf on Thursday denounced the US attack on civilian homes on Qeshm Island, describing it as a continuation of American crimes in the southern Iranian cities of Minab and Lamerd. Earlier on Thursday, the US launched missile strikes across southern Iran, including Qeshm Island as well as parts of Bushehr, Fars and Khuzestan provinces. Read more…
