The British pound has posted gains in the Thursday session, erasing the losses seen on Wednesday. In North American trade, GBP/USD is trading at 1.3919, up 0.29% on the day. On the release front, the Bank of England maintained interest rates at 0.50%, but hinted at earlier and larger rate hikes. In the US, unemployment claims dropped to a sparkling 221 thousand, well below the estimate of 232 thousand.
The BoE was in the spotlight on Thursday. The Bank made no changes to interest rates or quantitative easing, and both moves were unanimous (9-0). There was some surprise however, at the hawkish tone of policymakers, who said that interest rates could rise "earlier" and by a "somewhat greater extent" than they predicted at their previous meeting in November. Bottom line? We could see an interest rate in the first half of 2018, with analysts circling May as the most likely date. At the same time, the effect that Brexit is having on the economy is difficult to predict, and if the economic conditions worsen, the BoE could delay a rate hike.
It’s been a rough week for the pound, which is down 1.5 percent. The US dollar has posted gains against the pound and the other majors, after a massive sell-off on global stock markets on Monday. The sell-off was precipitated by strong US nonfarm payrolls and wage growth reports on Friday. This triggered concerns that higher inflation was on the way, which in turn would result in more rate hikes this year. Higher interest rates make the dollar more attractive for investors, at the expense of other currencies. If the turbulence in the stock markets continue, the pound could resume its downward movement.
