The Pound Sterling (GBP) clings to gains near 1.2500 against US Dollar (USD) in Friday’s London session. The GBP/USD pair shows strength as recent survey data has shown an improved economic outlook for the United Kingdom even though the Bank of England (BoE) is maintaining interest rates higher.
The preliminary PMI report from S&P Global/CIPS for April released on Tuesday showed that activity in the services sector remains robust, pushing overall activity higher despite a lagging Manufacturing PMI. The data also showed that new business inflows in the service sector remain strong.
Higher demand for services tends to boost employment and wages in the sector, contributing to inflation pressures. This could stall progress in inflation easing to the desired rate of 2%. Also, BoE policymakers have remained worried about high service inflation. Currently, the UK annual service inflation is at 6%, higher than what is required to be consistent for bringing down inflation to the 2% target.
A few BoE policymakers see inflation receding sharply in upcoming months but still refrain from providing a concrete time frame for interest-rate cuts. In the press conference after the last monetary policy meeting, BoE Governor Andrew Bailey said market expectations for two or three rate cuts this year are not “unreasonable”.
The Pound Sterling trades near Thursday’s high at around 1.2500 against the US Dollar. The GBP/USD pair struggles to extend the upside above the 20-day Exponential Moving Average (EMA), which trades around 1.2510.
The 14-period Relative Strength Index (RSI) rebounds above 40.00, suggesting that a bearish momentum might have concluded for now. However, the long-term bearish bias remains intact.
A sustainable move above the psychological resistance of 1.2500 will drive the pair towards the 200-day EMA, which hovers around 1.2550. On the other side, a downside move below Wednesday’s low at around 1.2430 will expose GBP/USD to a five-month low at around 1.2300.