GBP/USD trims a part of intraday losses, down a little below 1.3200 ahead of BoE

19 Sep 2024, 03:00 by Haresh Menghani · FXStreet

GBP/USD attracts some dip-buyers amid expectations that the BoE will hold rates steady.
Rising US bond yields assist the USD to gain some follow-through traction and caps gains.
Bulls also seem reluctant to place aggressive bets and prefer to wait for the BoE decision.

The GBP/USD pair finds some support near the 1.3150 region on Thursday and for now, seems to have stalled its retracement slide from the 1.3300 neighborhood, or the highest level since March 2022 touched the previous day. Spot prices climb closer to the 1.3200 mark during the Asian session, albeit lack follow-through amid some follow-through US Dollar (USD) buying and currently trade with modest intraday losses.

The US Federal Reserve (Fed) decided to kick-start the policy-easing cycle and lowered borrowing costs by 50 basis points (bps) on Wednesday, though cooled hopes for oversized rate cuts going forward. Furthermore, Fed policymakers don't see inflation returning to the 2% target before 2026, triggering a sharp recovery in the US Treasury bond yields. This, in turn, lifts the USD Index (DXY), which tracks the Greenback against a basket of currencies, to a one-week high and turns out to be a key factor exerting some downward pressure on the GBP/USD pair.

Meanwhile, expectations that the Bank of England's (BoE) rate-cutting cycle is more likely to be slower than in the United States (US) continue to underpin the British Pound (GBP) and help limit losses for the currency pair. The UK Consumer Price Index (CPI) report released on Wednesday showed that inflation in the services sector accelerated more than expected in August. This reaffirmed bets that the BoE would hold rates steady at the end of the September policy meeting later this Thursday and warrant caution before placing bearish bets around the GBP/USD pair.

Traders might also prefer to move to the sidelines heading into the key central bank event risk. Nevertheless, the aforementioned fundamental backdrop suggests that the path of least resistance for the GBP/USD pair is to the upside. That said, the two-way price action witnessed over the past few days, along with the overnight failure near the 1.3300 mark, warrants some caution for bullish traders. Hence, some follow-through buying is needed to support prospects for an extension of the pair's move up from the 1.3000 psychological mark, or the monthly low touched last week.

Economic Indicator

BoE Interest Rate Decision

The Bank of England (BoE) announces its interest rate decision at the end of its eight scheduled meetings per year. If the BoE is hawkish about the inflationary outlook of the economy and raises interest rates it is usually bullish for the Pound Sterling (GBP). Likewise, if the BoE adopts a dovish view on the UK economy and keeps interest rates unchanged, or cuts them, it is seen as bearish for GBP.