Bearish view
- Sell the GBP/USD pair and set a take-profit at 1.2650.
- Add a stop-loss at 1.2765.
- Timeline: 1-2 days.
Bullish view
- Set a buy-stop at 1.2735 and a take-profit at 1.2800.
- Add a stop-loss at 1.2650.
The GBP/USD exchange rate wavered on Tuesday morning as traders reflected on the ongoing events in the UK and the upcoming US jobs numbers. The pair was trading at 1.2732, a few points above last Friday’s low of 1.2688.
Fed and BoE rates
The GBP/USD pair tilted upwards ahead of the upcoming UK jobs numbers, which will provide more information about the country’s wage growth. According to Bloomberg, analysts expect the data to show that the country’s unemployment rate remained at 4.3% in April while wage growth, including bonuses jumped by 5.7%.
A higher wage growth figure than expected will complicate the BoE’s rate cut outlook by signalling that the tight labor market was stirring inflation. That would make it difficult for the BoE to start easing interest rates, which sit at the highest level in 16 years.
The Bank of England is expected to start cutting rates as soon as in its July meeting since inflation has dropped recently. However, a rate cut may be complicated by the upcoming election in July where the Tories are expected to lose big.
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There will be no other economic event in the UK on Tuesday. Therefore, focus among traders will be on the upcoming Federal Reserve decision. In it, the bank is not expected to slash interest rates.
Instead, the committee will provide more color on when the first cut will happen. This meeting will come at a time when the US is sending mixed signals. On the one hand, a report showed that the country’s manufacturing sector has moved into a deep contraction.
At the same time, the labor market is strong, with the economy adding over 272k jobs in May last year. Wage growth also continued accelerating, risking more inflation trends in the country.
GBP/USD technical analysis
The GBP/USD pair has rebounded from last week’s low of 1.2688. This rebound happened after the pair formed a morning star on the four-hour chart. It has moved above the lower side of the ascending channel shown in red.
The pair has also jumped above the 23.6% Fibonacci Retracement point level. However, the 25-period and 50-period moving averages are about to form a bearish crossover, which is a popular bearish sign.
Therefore, the pair will likely resume the bearish trend as sellers target last Friday’s low of 1.2688. A move below that level will point to more downside as sellers target the key support at 1.2650.
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