GBP/USD is down sharply in the Thursday session, as the turmoil over Brexit has weighed heavily on the British pound. In North American trade, the pair is trading at 1.2758, down 1.77% on the day. On the release front, British retail sales declined -0.5%, well below the estimate of 0.2%. In the U.S., it’s a busy day. Retail sales rebounded with a strong gain of 0.7% in October, after a decline of -0.1% a month earlier. Core retail sales jumped 0.8%, after a gain of 0.1% in September. Elsewhere, the Philly Fed Manufacturing Index fell sharply to 12.9, shy of the estimate of 20.1 points. Unemployment claims edged higher to 216 thousand, above the estimate of 213 thousand. This was the highest reading since August. On Friday, the U.K releases CB Leading Index.
It has been a day of drama in London, as an embattled Prime Minister May attempts to sell the Brexit agreement between Britain and the European Union. It promises to be an uphill battle for May, as many Conservative MPs are against the agreement, particularly over the proposed customs agreement with the EU. Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab resigned on Tuesday, and there were calls in parliament for a no-confidence vote against May. With Labor vowing to shoot down the agreement, May will have a tough time getting a majority in parliament for the agreement. The EU announced that a special summit on Brexit on November 25, but the markets remained concerned that a ‘no-deal’ scenario is a real possibility. This negative sentiment has sent the pound reeling, with GBP/USD posting its sharpest one-day loss of 2018.
Overshadowed by the political drama in Westminster was a dismal reading from British retail sales. The indicator came in at -0.5%, its second straight decline. Consumers are nervous about Brexit and are holding tighter to their purse strings. As well, the mild autumn weather has put a damper on sales of winter clothes. The dismal retail sales release could dampen consumer and investor confidence, which could push the wobbly pound even lower.
On Wednesday, U.S consumer inflation numbers beat their estimates for October. The consumer price index posted a gain of 0.3%, its strongest gain since January. Core CPI, which excludes food and energy prices edged higher to 0.2%, marking a 3-month high. Both releases were in line with forecasts. Core CPI was 2.1% higher than a year ago, and this solid release means that the Fed remains on track to continue raising interest rates. The Federal Reserve holds its next policy meeting in December, with the odds of a December rate hike at 72%, according to the CME Group.
