GBP/USD Forecast and News
GBP/USD turns lower to near 1.2300 as US Dollar stabilizes ahead of data
GBP/USD has come under renewed selling pressure and battles 1.2300 in the European trading hours on Thursday. The pair meets supply as the US Dollar stabilizes and traders digest US President Trump's tariff talks, gearing up for the mid-tier US economic data later in the day.
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GBP/USD Technical Overview
The Relative Strength Index indicator on the 4-hour chart retreats toward 50 and GBP/USD remains below the 100-period Simple Moving Average (SMA), currently located at 1.2320, after closing the last four candles below that level, reflecting buyers' hesitancy.
On the downside, 1.2270 (Fibonacci 23.6% retracement level of the latest downtrend) aligns as first support before 1.2240 (50-period SMA) and 1.2200 (round level, static level).
In case GBP/USD stabilizes above 1.2320 (100-period SMA), it could face stiff resistance at 1.2360-1.2370 (20-day SMA, Fibonacci 38.2% retracement) before testing 1.2400 (round level, static level).
Fundamental Overview
GBP/USD climbed to a two-week-high near 1.2380 in the European session on Wednesday but lost its traction to close the day marginally lower. The pair edges lower toward 1.2300 in the European morning on Thursday and the technical outlook highlights a loss of bullish momentum in the near term.
The US Dollar (USD) came under bearish pressure in the first half of the day on Wednesday as risk flows dominated the action in financial markets. Although Wall Street's main indexes opened higher, rising US Treasury bond yields helped the USD hold its ground in the American session.
The US Department of Labor will publish the weekly Initial Jobless Claims data later in the day. Investors forecast the number of first-time applications for unemployment benefits to rise to 220,000 in the week ending January 18 from 217,000 in the previous week. A print below 210,000 could allow the USD to gather strength and force GBP/USD to stay on the back foot. In case this data comes in above 230,000, it would point to a cooldown in the labor market and weigh on the USD.
On Friday, preliminary January Manufacturing and Services PMI reports from the UK and the US could provide important directional clues for GBP/USD heading into the weekend.
SPECIAL WEEKLY GBP/USD FORECAST
Interested in weekly GBP/USD forecasts? Our experts make weekly updates forecasting the next possible moves of the Pound-Dollar pair. Here you can find the most recent forecast by our market experts:
GBP/USD: Pound Sterling not out of the woods yet ahead of Trump 2.0 Premium
The Pound Sterling recovered from 14-month lows of 1.2100 versus the US Dollar. GBP/USD braces for Trump 2.0, UK labor data and global preliminary PMI reports. Technically, the pair looks vulnerable as the daily RSI remains bearish.
GBP/USD Big Picture
GBP/USD Bullish Themes
GBP/USD BEARISH Themes
Latest GBP Analysis
Editors' picks
EUR/USD hovers near 1.0400 as focus shifts to US data
EUR/USD trades listlessly near 1.0400 in the European session on Thursday. The pair stays defensive as US President Trump has threatened to impose tariffs on the Eurozone. Further, ECB rate cut expectations also weigh on the major alongside fresh US Dollar demand ahead of US data.
GBP/USD turns lower to near 1.2300 as US Dollar stabilizes ahead of data
GBP/USD has come under renewed selling pressure and battles 1.2300 in the European trading hours on Thursday. The pair meets supply as the US Dollar stabilizes and traders digest US President Trump's tariff talks, gearing up for the mid-tier US economic data later in the day.
Japanese Yen bulls seem reluctant amid positive risk tone; focus remains on BoJ
The Japanese Yen drifts lower for the second successive day against its American counterpart. A further recovery in the US bond yields underpins the USD and supports the USD/JPY pair. Traders now look to Trump’s speech for a fresh impetus ahead of the BoJ decision on Friday.
Gold price sticks to negative bias, remains close to multi-month peak set on Wednesday
Gold price (XAU/USD) remains depressed through the first half of the European session on Thursday and for now, seems to have snapped a three-day winning streak to its highest level since early November touched the previous day.
WTI drops to near $75.00 due to uncertain potential impact of Trump’s proposed tariffs
WTI price depreciates due to uncertainty surrounding the impact of President Trump's proposed tariffs and energy policies. API Weekly Crude Oil Stock rose by 1 million barrels in the previous week. Trump threatened to impose "high levels" of sanctions and tariffs on Russian imports.
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GBP/USD YEARLY FORECAST
How could GBP/USD move this year? Our experts make a GBP/USD update forecasting the possible moves of the pound-dollar pair during the whole year. Don't miss our 2025 GBP/USD forecast!
2025 GBP/USD FORECAST
In the GBP/USD Price Forecast 2025, our analyst, Dhwani Mehta, notes that the Pound Sterling (GBP) gears up for the global implications of US President-elect Donald Trump’s protectionist policies and the path of monetary policies adopted on both sides of the Atlantic as 2025 unfolds. Contrasting economic outlooks on both sides of the Atlantic will likely cause the Fed and BoE policy divergence to stand out in the year ahead. Read more details about the forecast.
GBP/USD’s topping out its gradual recovery at two-and-a-half-year highs of 1.3434, and the ensuing downtrend carved out a rising wedge formation on the monthly time frame.
MOST INFLUENTIAL POLITICAL EVENTS IN 2025 FOR GBP/USD
The US economy continued to show resilience, with the real GDP expanding at a solid 2.8% annualized rate in the third quarter of 2024. Meanwhile, the BoE staff downgraded their economic forecast for the fourth quarter of 2024, now predicting no growth, compared with the 0.3% expansion predicted in its November report.
The BoE stood pat on its policy rate in December but “the split vote decision and the dovish tone of the Minutes suggest that a February (2025) interest rate cut remains very much in play, if not yet a done deal,” Suren Thiru said.
The impact of Trump’s tariffs on the UK is expected to be minimal. However, mounting tensions over a global tariff war and its spillover on the Euro area growth could sag confidence, having a rub-off effect on the British economy.
Influential Institutions & People for the GBP/USD
The Pound VS Dollar can be seriously affected by news or the decisions taken by two main central banks:
The Bank of England (BoE)
The Bank of England is the central bank of the United Kingdom. Established in 1694 and privately owned in the beginning, the Bank was nationalised in 1946 so now is completely owned by the UK government. BOE's main reason to be is to maintain monetary and financial stability in the country. Some of its other tasks are producing secure bank notes, operating asset purchase facility and keeping the inflation low and stable. The bank is overseen by the Court, named used to reffer the board of directors, and is accountable to Parliament and the public.
BOE Official Website, on Twitter and Facebook
The Federal Reserve Bank (Fed)
On the other
FED Official Website, on Twitter and Facebook
Andrew Bailey
Andrew Bailey is Governor of the Bank of England since 16 March 2020. He was announced as the new Governor of the BoE on 20 December 2019. Bailey was born in Leicester in 1959 and graduated from Queens' College with a BA in History and a PhD from the Faculty of History, University of Cambridge in 1985. Before becoming the Governor of the BOE, Andrew worked at the Bank in a number of areas, most recently as Executive Director for Banking Services and Chief Cashier, as well as Head of the Bank's Special Resolution Unit (SRU). Previous roles include Governor's Private Secretary, and Head of the International Economic Analysis Division in Monetary Analysis.
Bailey on BOE'S Profile and Wikipedia
Jerome Powell
Jerome Powell took office as chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System in February 2018, for a four-year term ending in February 2022. His term as a member of the Board of Governors will expire January 31, 2028. Born in Washington D.C., he received a bachelor’s degree in politics from Princeton University in 1975 and earned a law degree from Georgetown University in 1979. Powell served as an assistant secretary and as undersecretary of the Treasury under President George H.W. Bush. He also worked as a lawyer and investment banker in New York City. From 1997 through 2005, Powell was a partner at The Carlyle Group.
Jerome Powell Fed's Profile and Wikipedia
BOE NEWS & ANALYSIS
ECB NEWS & ANALYSIS
About GBP/USD
The GBP/USD (or Pound / Dollar) currency pair belongs to the group of 'Majors', a way to mention the most important pairs in the world. The pair is also called 'The Cable', referring to the first Transatlantic cable that was crossing the Atlantic Ocean in order to connect Great Britain with the United States of America. This term originated in the mid-19th century, which makes it one of the oldest currency pairs.
Pound Sterling - US Dollar represents two economies: British and American (from United States of America). The Cable is a closely watched and widely traded currency pair where the Pound is the base currency and the US Dollar is the counter currency. For that reason, all the macroeconomic data related to the US and the UK affects the price of this pair. One of the events which affected most the volatility of the pound vs. dollar was Brexit.
Related pairs
EUR/USD
The EUR/USD (or Euro Dollar) currency pair belongs to the group of 'Majors', a way to mention the most important pairs in the world. This group also includes the following currency pairs: GBP/USD, USD/JPY, AUD/USD, USD/CHF, NZD/USD and USD/CAD. The popularity of Euro Dollar is due to the fact that it gathers two main economies: the European and American (from United States of America) ones. This is a widely traded currency pair where the Euro is the base currency and the US Dollar is the counter currency. Since the EUR/USD pair consists of more than half of all the trading volume worldwide in the Forex Market, it is almost impossible for a gap to appear, let alone a consequent breakaway gap in the opposite direction.
Normally, the EUR/USD is very quiet during the Asian session because economic data that affects the fundamentals of those currencies is released in either the European or U.S. session. Once traders in Europe get to their desks a flurry of activity hits the tape as they start filling customer orders and jockey for positions. At noon activity slows down as traders step out for lunch and then picks back up again as the U.S. comes online.
USD/JPY
The USD/JPY (or US Dollar Japanese Yen) currency pair belongs to the group of 'Majors', a way to mention the most important pairs in the world. This group also includes the following currency pairs: EUR/USD, GBP/USD, AUD/USD, USD/CHF, NZD/USD and USD/CAD. Japanese Yen has a low interest rate and is normally used in carry trades. This is the reason why is one of the most trades currencies worldwide. In the USD/JPY the US Dollar is the base currency and the Japanese Yen is the counter currency. The pair represents American (from United States of America) and Japanese economies.
Trading the USD/JPY currency pair is also known as trading the "ninja" or the "gopher", although this last name is more frequently used when referred to the GBP/JPY currency pair. The US Dollar Japanese Yen usually has a positive correlation with the following two pairs: USD/CHF and USD/CAD. The nature of this correlation is due to the fact that both currency pairs also use the US Dollar as the base currency, such as USD/JPY. The value of the pair tends to be affected when the two main central banks of each country, the Bank of Japan (BoJ) and the Federal Reserve Bank (Fed), face serious interest rate differential.