Photo by Colin Watts on Unsplash 
 

GBP/USD lost momentum on Monday, holding near 1.3100 as investors grapple with an extremely short week. US markets will be dark on Thursday for the American Thanksgiving holiday, and US markets will also be shuttered early on Friday, effectively constraining Cable traders to just a three-day trading week where markets on both sides of the Atlantic will be open at the same time.

Broad market hopes for the Federal Reserve (Fed) to deliver a third straight interest rate cut in December are holding on the high side on Monday. According to the CME’s FedWatch Tool, rate traders are pricing in nearly 80% odds of a 25-basis-point rate trim on December 10. There’s still plenty of wiggle room, however, with over 98% odds that the Fed will deliver another rate cut by January 28 if a December cut fails to materialize.

Thanks to the longest US government shutdown in history, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) has delayed the release of October and November labor and employment data until after the Fed’s interest rate decision. It will hold the key figures back until December 16. This leaves the Fed with little meaningful data to gauge interest rate moves, and it could vex hopes of a rate cut in the coming weeks.

US Producer Price Index (PPI) data due Tuesday could attract more market attention than usual. Still, the well-defined inflation category specifically excludes foreign-made or imported goods. It will provide little direct information on how the Trump administration’s scattershot tariff policies are affecting business costs beyond indirect price impacts.

GBP/USD daily chart
 

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