Pound Sterling rally stalls near 1.3400 with US PCE inflation as next catalyst

• The Pound Sterling faces pressure near 1.3400 against the US Dollar ahead of the US PCE inflation data for August.
• Market expectations for the Fed cutting rates by 50 basis points in November have slightly declined.
• The BoE is expected to cut interest rates once in the last quarter of the year.

The Pound Sterling (GBP) continues to face selling pressure near the round-level resistance of 1.3400 against the US Dollar (USD) in Friday’s London session. The rally for the GBP/USD pair appears to have stalled, as investors focus on the United States (US) Personal Consumption Expenditure Price Index (PCE) data for August, which will be published at 12:30 GMT.

The US core PCE index, the Federal Reserve’s (Fed) preferred inflation gauge, is estimated to have grown 2.7% on year, faster than the 2.6% increase seen in July, while on month prices are expected to have grown steadily by 0.2%. 

The data is likely to influence market speculation for the Fed interest rate cuts in November. Markets are almost equally split about the US central bank lowering rates again by 50 basis points or by a smaller 25 basis points.

According to the CME FedWatch tool, the probability of the Fed reducing interest rates by 50 basis points in November has dropped to 51% from 57% on Thursday. If the PCE data gave signs of a further slowdown in inflationary pressures, market expectations of a big cut interest rate cut would increase. On the contrary, hot inflation figures would weaken the chances of this scenario.

The significance of the US inflation data has declined recently as Fed officials seem confident that price pressures will return to the bank’s target of 2%. Also, policymakers have become more vigilant about labor market risks. Last week, the Fed started the policy-easing cycle with a larger-than-usual interest rate cut of 50 basis points (bps) to 4.75%-5.00%, which signaled that officials would do whatever it takes to revive labor market strength.

Daily digest market movers: Pound Sterling looks set for another week of gains

• The Pound Sterling performs weakly against its major peers, except the Asia-Pacific currencies, on Friday. The British currency weakens as investors turn cautious ahead of PCE inflation data.
• There isn’t any top-tier United Kingdom (UK) economic data this week or the next one. Therefore, the GBP will be influenced by market expectations for the Bank of England’s (BoE) monetary policy action for the remainder of the year.
• Financial market participants expect that the BoE will lower interest rates once in any of the two policy meetings remaining this year. The BoE pivoted to policy normalization with a 25-bps interest rate cut in August to 5%, but left rates unchanged in its last week’s meeting.
• On Tuesday, BoE Governor Andrew Bailey said in an interview with the Kent Messenger newspaper that "the path for interest rates will be downwards, gradually,” Reuters reports. Bailey’s comments suggest that he is confident about inflation sustainably returning to the bank’s target of 2%. He didn’t provide a specific neutral rate but assured that they will not return to historic lows as seen in times of pandemic.

Technical Analysis: Pound Sterling struggles to climb above 1.3400

The Pound Sterling drops as it struggles to extend its upside above the key resistance of 1.3400 against the US Dollar in European trading hours. The GBP/USD pair faced selling pressure after posting a fresh more-than-two-year high above 1.3430. The near-term outlook of the Cable remains firm as the 20-day Exponential Moving Average (EMA) near 1.3235 is sloping higher.

Earlier in September, the Cable strengthened after recovering from a corrective move to near the trendline plotted from the December 28, 2023, high of 1.2828, from where it delivered a sharp increase after a breakout on August 21. 

The 14-day Relative Strength Index (RSI) tilts down but remains above 60.00, suggesting an active bullish momentum. 

Looking up, the Cable will face resistance near the psychological level of 1.3500. On the downside, the 20-day EMA near 1.3235 will be the key support for Pound Sterling bulls.