Currency news

UK inflation key for GBP

Head of FX Analysis at Equals Money
-
3
min read
Publish date
20/05/24
    • GBP traders wait for Wednesday's numbers
    • USD stays on backfoot ahead of Fed speak and minutes


    Currency recap

    USD weakness continued going into the weekend as markets continued to trade on US data points, indicating that the Fed will likely have to cut interest rates later this year. Only a month ago there was speculation that the Fed could hike this year, but as bets firmed up for a cut later this year, USD has continued to weaken. GBP held up well going into this week's inflation numbers.

    Today's GBP rates

    Currency pair Daily move* Indicative rate**
    GBPAUD 0.17% 1.9002
    GBPCAD 0.15% 1.7278
    GBPCHF 0.40% 1.1527
    GBPDKK 0.20% 8.7160
    GBPEUR 0.20% 1.1682
    GBPJPY 0.28% 197.4650
    GBPNOK 0.10% 13.5672
    GBPNZD 0.10% 2.0719
    GBPSEK 0.20% 13.6047
    GBPUSD 0.20% 1.2695


    *Daily move - against G10 rates at 7:30am, 20.05.24

    ** Indicative rates - interbank rates at 7:30am, 20.05.24

    Key data points

    Currency Event Period Consensus Previous
    - None today. - - -

    Upcoming speeches

    • USD: Fed Bostic, Barr, Waller, Jefferson and Mester

    What we think

    Focus today will fall on a host of speakers from the Fed including Bostic, Barr, Waller, Jefferson, and Mester. Both GBPUSD and EURUSD are trading at the April high resistance levels, and failure for hawkish comments to support USD could see this breached. We will have further insight from the Fed with the release of the minutes on Wednesday evening.

    Main focus this week will be on UK inflation numbers on Wednesday morning, which are all expected to show a moderation on price pressures. Recent commentary from the Bank of England has signalled to the markets that the Bank could elect to cut rates sooner than what markets are pricing. A lower services and core print could well move the needle to June for the first rate cut - current pricing suggests 60% probability – which will likely see weakness on GBP pairs. Hot numbers will see gains for GBP.

    Focus on Thursday will fall on PMI numbers from the EU, UK, and US as we continue to monitor the performance of each respective economy.

    Chart of the day

    Inflation is the highlight of this week, and whether the data points to the Bank of England cutting interest rates in June. There will be one more inflation reading before the June meeting, but this week's numbers will likely dictate how GBP trades into that June inflation report and BoE meeting.

    20052024 cotd
    Source: Bloomberg Finance L.P.

    We specialise in currency guidance

    Our team of currency experts are here to help you get more from your money when making global payments. We will work with you to understand your payment needs and offer specialised guidance on the best options available to you. Over the last 18 years we’ve helped over a million customers and last year alone processed over £10bn. We’re tried and trusted, and we’re ready to help you.

    Have a great day.

    International payments made simple
    Find out more

    Still have questions?

    This is some text inside of a div block.

    Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.

    This is some text inside of a div block.

    Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.

    This is some text inside of a div block.

    Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.