Pound Sterling rallies as BoE prepares for a fresh interest rate hike – Crypto News – Crypto News
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GBP/USD finds some support near mid-1.1400s, eyes BoE for fresh impetus GBP/USD finds some support near mid-1.1400s, eyes BoE for fresh impetus

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Pound Sterling rallies as BoE prepares for a fresh interest rate hike – Crypto News

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  • Pound Sterling jumps to near 1.2700, supported by a risk-on mood.
  • UK housing demand drops sharply due to rising mortgage rates.
  • Investors hope that policy divergence between the Fed and BoE will vanish this month.

The Pound Sterling (GBP) extends recovery swiftly as a higher risk appetite among market participants continues to improve the appeal for risk-sensitive assets. The GBP/USD pair remains well-supported as investors hope that the policy divergence between the Federal Reserve (Fed) and the Bank of England (BoE) will vanish this year. More interest rate hikes from the BoE are in the pipeline as the core Consumer Price Index (CPI) data remains sticky near its all-time peak.

In the battle against persistent inflation, the UK’s factory activities and its property sector have been major victims. British firms continue to operate at lower capacity due to a poor demand outlook, and higher mortgage rates have forced homebuyers to postpone their purchases. The BoE’s Broadbent warned that inflation will not fade as quickly as it emerged despite soft energy and fuel prices.

Daily Digest Market Movers: Pound Sterling recovers strongly on soft US labor demand

  • Pound Sterling gathers strength for a decisive break above the immediate resistance of 1.2650 amid an upbeat market mood.
  • The asset secures an auction above 1.2600 as investors hope that the Fed-BoE policy divergence will vanish since the former is expected to keep interest rates steady.
  • The BoE doesn’t have the comfort of pausing the policy-tightening spell in the current scenario as evidence that UK core inflation will loosen up is absent.
  • UK core inflation is nominally lower at 6.9% from its all-time peak of 7.1% despite BoE raising interest rates to 5.25%.
  • UK PM Rishi Sunak’s promise of halving inflation by year-end is at stake, which would keep the central bank on the policy-tightening path.
  • The major catalyst behind persistent core inflation is the strong wage growth in the British economy. The UK’s jobless rate rose to 4.2% in July, but wage growth remained robust, which indicated that firms were heavily spending to retain talent.
  • This week, BoE Deputy Governor Ben Broadbent said that inflation will not fade as quickly as it emerged despite soft energy and fuel prices. He warned that interest rates will remain higher for a longer period.
  • BoE’s battle against stubborn inflation has come with plenty of consequences for the UK’s economic outlook. Repercussions of higher interest rates have widened to the property sector.
  • UK property website Zoopla forecasted on Wednesday that new home purchases in 2023 are on course to decline by 21% to their lowest level since 2012 as homebuyers postpone their purchases due to higher mortgage rates, Reuters reported.
  • An influential group of UK MPs stated that they must take a tougher stance on China over its severe human rights abuses and help Taiwan build its defenses to deter a potential attack from Beijing, reported by The Guardian.
  • Major strength in the Pound Sterling on Wednesday came from bullish market sentiment, which was propelled by softer United States JOLTS Job Openings for July.
  • US Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on Tuesday that employers invited applications for 8.827M vacancies vs. June’s reading of 9.165M. Market participants anticipated higher job openings at 9.465M.
  • A significant drop in labor demand boosts hopes of ‘higher for longer’ interest rates by the Federal Reserve (Fed) and challenges expectations of further policy tightening this year.
  • Meanwhile, US ADP’s Employment Change data for August landed at 177K, lower than estimates and the former release of 195K and 324K respectively.
  • The last four ADP Employment reports were significantly above market consensus. This time, fresh payrolls were significantly lower due to higher interest rates by the Fed.
  • Later this week, Nonfarm Payrolls (NFP) and ISM Manufacturing PMI will be keenly watched.

Technical Analysis: Pound Sterling tests 1.2700

Pound Sterling strives for a confident stabilization above the round-level resistance of 1.2700, capitalizing on bullish market sentiment. The Cable oscillates in the previous day’s range ahead of crucial US economic data, which will guide further direction. The broader trend is still weak as the 20 and 50-day Exponential Moving Averages (EMAs) have already delivered a bearish crossover.

BoE FAQs

The Bank of England (BoE) decides monetary policy for the United Kingdom. Its primary goal is to achieve ‘price stability’, or a steady inflation rate of 2%. Its tool for achieving this is via the adjustment of base lending rates. The BoE sets the rate at which it lends to commercial banks and banks lend to each other, determining the level of interest rates in the economy overall. This also impacts the value of the Pound Sterling (GBP).

When inflation is above the Bank of England’s target it responds by raising interest rates, making it more expensive for people and businesses to access credit. This is positive for the Pound Sterling because higher interest rates make the UK a more attractive place for global investors to park their money. When inflation falls below target, it is a sign economic growth is slowing, and the BoE will consider lowering interest rates to cheapen credit in the hope businesses will borrow to invest in growth-generating projects – a negative for the Pound Sterling.

In extreme situations, the Bank of England can enact a policy called Quantitative Easing (QE). QE is the process by which the BoE substantially increases the flow of credit in a stuck financial system. QE is a last resort policy when lowering interest rates will not achieve the necessary result. The process of QE involves the BoE printing money to buy assets – usually government or AAA-rated corporate bonds – from banks and other financial institutions. QE usually results in a weaker Pound Sterling.

Quantitative tightening (QT) is the reverse of QE, enacted when the economy is strengthening and inflation starts rising. Whilst in QE the Bank of England (BoE) purchases government and corporate bonds from financial institutions to encourage them to lend; in QT, the BoE stops buying more bonds, and stops reinvesting the principal maturing on the bonds it already holds. It is usually positive for the Pound Sterling.

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