Pound Sterling Slumps As UK Unemployment Rate Rose To Four-Year High At 5%
- The Pound Sterling underperforms its major peers as UK employment data came in weaker than projected.
- The UK ILO Unemployment Rate rose to 5% in the three months ending in September.
- The US Senate advances government spending bills to the House of Representatives.
The Pound Sterling (GBP) falls sharply against its major currency peers on Tuesday. The British currency weakens as the United Kingdom (UK) labour market data for the three months ending September has signaled that job market conditions have deteriorated further.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has reported that employers laid off 22K workers, compared to a fresh addition of 91K recorded in the three months ending in August. This is the first time the overall labour force has seen a reduction in employees since the three months ending in March 2024.
Additionally, the ILO Unemployment Rate has accelerated to 5%, faster than estimates of 4.9% and the prior reading of 4.8%. This is the highest level seen since March 2021.
Signs of a weakening job market are expected to prompt expectations of an interest rate cut by the Bank of England (BoE) at its December policy meeting.
This week, BoE dovish expectations for the December meeting have already accelerated as the central bank eliminated “careful” from their “gradual monetary easing guidance”, while announcing the Monetary Policy Statement last Thursday.
Meanwhile, Average Hourly Earnings Excluding Bonuses, a key measure of wage growth, rose at a moderate pace of 4.6% on an annualized basis, as expected, compared to a 4.7% growth seen in the three months ending August. In the same period, Average Earnings Including Bonuses rose at a slower pace of 4.8%, compared to estimates of 4.9% and the prior reading of 5%.
Pound Sterling Price Today
The table below shows the percentage change of British Pound (GBP) against listed major currencies today. British Pound was the weakest against the Swiss Franc.
| USD | EUR | GBP | JPY | CAD | AUD | NZD | CHF | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USD | 0.02% | 0.41% | 0.22% | 0.10% | 0.28% | 0.01% | -0.18% | |
| EUR | -0.02% | 0.39% | 0.20% | 0.08% | 0.26% | -0.00% | -0.20% | |
| GBP | -0.41% | -0.39% | -0.18% | -0.31% | -0.15% | -0.39% | -0.58% | |
| JPY | -0.22% | -0.20% | 0.18% | -0.10% | 0.06% | -0.22% | -0.40% | |
| CAD | -0.10% | -0.08% | 0.31% | 0.10% | 0.19% | -0.09% | -0.28% | |
| AUD | -0.28% | -0.26% | 0.15% | -0.06% | -0.19% | -0.26% | -0.49% | |
| NZD | -0.01% | 0.00% | 0.39% | 0.22% | 0.09% | 0.26% | -0.19% | |
| CHF | 0.18% | 0.20% | 0.58% | 0.40% | 0.28% | 0.49% | 0.19% |
The heat map shows percentage changes of major currencies against each other. The base currency is picked from the left column, while the quote currency is picked from the top row. For example, if you pick the British Pound from the left column and move along the horizontal line to the US Dollar, the percentage change displayed in the box will represent GBP (base)/USD (quote).
Daily digest market movers: Pound Sterling is under pressure against US Dollar
- The Pound Sterling slumps to near 1.3120 against the US Dollar (USD) during the European trading session on Tuesday. The GBP/USD faces intense selling pressure after the release of the weaker-than-projected UK employment data.
- Meanwhile, the US Dollar trades broadly stable as the United States (US) Senate advances the government funding bill to the Republican-controlled House of Representatives. According to a Reuters report, House Speaker Mike Johnson has stated that the bill will be passed by Wednesday.
- At the press time, the US Dollar Index (DXY), which tracks the Greenback’s value against six major currencies, trades flat around 99.60.
- Meanwhile, investors await fresh cues on whether the Federal Reserve (Fed) will cut interest rates again this year. According to the CME FedWatch tool, the probability of the Fed cutting interest rates by 25 basis points (bps) to the 3.50%-3.75% range in the December meeting is 62.4%.
- It won't be challenging for investors to gauge the Fed’s interest rate expectations as federal agencies will start releasing economic data, which was halted due to the government shutdown.
- Going forward, the major trigger for the GBP/USD pair will be the United Kingdom (UK) Gross Domestic Product (GDP) data for September, as well as the preliminary reading of the GDP for the third quarter of the year, which will be published on Thursday. Economists expect the UK's Q3 GDP to have grown 0.2%, slower than the 0.3% expansion seen in the second quarter.
Technical Analysis: Pound Sterling stays below 200-day EMA
(Click on image to enlarge)
The Pound Sterling declines to near 1.3130 against the US Dollar on Tuesday. The overall trend of the pair remains bearish as it trades below the 200-day Exponential Moving Average (EMA), which is around 1.3264.
The 14-day Relative Strength Index (RSI) struggles to return above 40.00. A fresh bearish momentum would emerge if the RSI resumes its downside journey.
Looking down, the April low near 1.2700 will act as a key support zone. On the upside, the October 28 high around 1.3370 will act as a key barrier.
More By This Author:
Pound Sterling Trades Cautiously On Intensifying BoE Dovish SpeculationPound Sterling Ticks Up Against US Dollar As Senate Advances Stopgap Bill
Pound Sterling Underperforms On Easing UK Inflation Concerns
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