empty
19.03.2024 01:30 PM
GBP/USD Forecast: Traders await BoE meeting

Today marked the conclusion of meetings of two of the world's major central banks, Japan and Australia. The decisions of both were in line with economists' forecasts, yet caused unexpected movements. Both the yen and the Australian dollar weakened after the central banks announced their policy decisions. While the Reserve Bank of Australia left its interest rate unchanged at 4.35%, causing the Australian dollar to suffer losses, the Bank of Japan raised the interest rate to 0% for the first time since 2007, ending eight years of negative interest rates and abandoning its yield-curve control policy. Following the meeting, Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda stated that the bank would continue to purchase Japanese government bonds at the same volume as before. He also added that, if necessary, the regulator would consider options for broad easing, including those used in the past. These statements likely became a negative factor for the yen, which sharply weakened after the Bank of Japan's meeting.

The Australian dollar unexpectedly came under pressure, as mentioned earlier, despite reassuring statements from Reserve Bank of Australia Governor Michele Bullock who expressed the need to be much more confident about inflation coming down to consider a rate cut. Here, investors likely paid attention to Bullock's statement that despite "encouraging signs that inflation is moderating, the economic outlook remains uncertain," fueling talks that the RBA might soon start easing its monetary policy as well.

After the meetings of the BoJ and RBA, market participants will await the Federal Reserve's meeting, whose outcome is due on Wednesday. Nearly all economists are confident that the Fed will refrain from any changes in its monetary policy parameters. Meanwhile, investors are hoping that Fed Chairman Jerome Powell will signal the timing of the start of its easing monetary policy cycle. However, given the recently published US inflation data, which recorded an acceleration instead of the expected slowdown, Powell may speak in favor of a later start to the easing cycle, not ruling out the possibility of an interest rate increase. In this case, the dollar is expected to resume gains, with its DXY index rising above the 104.00 mark.

At the time of preparing this article, the DXY was near the 103.63 mark, supported by the persisting yield of 10-year US Treasury bonds above the 4.30% mark.

On Thursday, the central banks of Switzerland and the United Kingdom will hold their meetings. Both currencies issued by these banks, the Swiss franc and the pound sterling, remain under pressure against the US dollar today.

This image is no longer relevant

Economists do not expect changes in the monetary policy parameters of the SNB and the Bank of England. At the same time, they do not rule out that BoE officials might signal an earlier start to the cycle of reducing borrowing costs than the markets currently estimate. Despite the still high level of inflation in the UK, it is slowing down. The next set of inflation data for the UK will be published on Wednesday, which will undoubtedly affect the regulator's policy decision. According to preliminary estimates, the annual consumer price index in February slowed down from 4.0% to 3.5%, and the core CPI eased from 5.1% to 4.6%. The annual retail price index to be released at the same time is estimated to have slowed down from 4.9% to 4.5% in February.

If statistics confirm a slowdown in UK inflation, and even if the Bank of England keeps its interest rate unchanged at 5.25% on Thursday, the British pound is expected to lose value due to the high likelihood of dovish accompanying statements from BoE leaders, signaling an imminent easing of monetary policy.

In this case, the GBP/USD pair will most likely extend losses to the key support level of 1.2560, separating the medium-term bull market from the bear one. Technical indicators on the daily price chart also indicate the dominance of sellers (for more details, see GBP/USD: trading scenarios on March 19, 2024).

Jurij Tolin,
Analytical expert of InstaForex
© 2007-2025
Select timeframe
5
min
15
min
30
min
1
hour
4
hours
1
day
1
week
Earn on cryptocurrency rate changes with InstaForex
Download MetaTrader 4 and open your first trade
  • Grand Choice
    Contest by
    InstaForex
    InstaForex always strives to help you
    fulfill your biggest dreams.
    JOIN CONTEST

Recommended Stories

USD/JPY. Analysis and Forecast

The Japanese yen continues to strengthen, remaining near its highest levels of 2024. This is driven by growing demand for traditional safe-haven assets amid a weakening U.S. dollar caused

Irina Yanina 12:31 2025-04-14 UTC+2

The Uncertainty Factor Will Pressure the Dollar and Support Demand for Safe-Haven Assets (There is a likelihood of further decline in USD/JPY and rising gold prices)

Global markets remain heavily influenced by Donald Trump's erratic behavior. In his attempt to pull the U.S. out of severe economic dependence on imports, Trump continues to juggle the topic

Pati Gani 09:45 2025-04-14 UTC+2

The Market Wants to, But Hesitates

Do you have a plan, Mr. Donald Trump? Some believe what's happening is masterful diplomacy — they hope that once serious proposals from other countries reach the White House, tariffs

Marek Petkovich 09:45 2025-04-14 UTC+2

What to Pay Attention to on April 14? A Breakdown of Fundamental Events for Beginners

No macroeconomic events are scheduled for Monday. However, the macroeconomic background is not of much interest to traders at the moment. At the very least, it does not drive

Paolo Greco 06:08 2025-04-14 UTC+2

EUR/USD Weekly Preview: The Show Must Go On

Last week, EUR/USD posted its strongest rally of the year, climbing from 1.0882 to a weekly high of 1.1474. A corrective pullback or consolidation phase typically follows such an impulsive

Irina Manzenko 05:37 2025-04-14 UTC+2

GBP/USD Overview. April 14: The British Pound Remains a Hostage of the Dollar

The GBP/USD currency pair also traded higher on Friday. However, it's worth noting that the British currency—once praised for its remarkable resilience against the dollar in recent years—is now rising

Paolo Greco 03:37 2025-04-14 UTC+2

EUR/USD Overview. April 14: The Dollar—From Leader to Laggard

The EUR/USD currency pair continued its steady rally on Friday. At this point, there are no more questions about what is happening in the currency market—it's as simple

Paolo Greco 03:37 2025-04-14 UTC+2

The US Dollar: Weekly Preview

There will be a few significant events in the upcoming week. Of course, reports such as industrial production, retail sales, and new home sales should be noted. At first glance

Chin Zhao 00:59 2025-04-14 UTC+2

The ECB May Cut Interest Rates Twice

The euro is showing a sharp rally against the U.S. dollar. The EUR/USD pair has already reached a three-year high and shows no signs of slowing down. Meanwhile, according

Jakub Novak 12:42 2025-04-11 UTC+2

AUD/USD. Analysis and Forecast

The AUD/USD pair is attempting to attract buyers in its rebound from the psychological level of 0.5900, marking its lowest point since March 2020. The upward momentum has managed

Irina Yanina 12:39 2025-04-11 UTC+2
Can't speak right now?
Ask your question in the chat.
Widget callback
 

Dear visitor,

Your IP address shows that you are currently located in the USA. If you are a resident of the United States, you are prohibited from using the services of InstaFintech Group including online trading, online transfers, deposit/withdrawal of funds, etc.

If you think you are seeing this message by mistake and your location is not the US, kindly proceed to the website. Otherwise, you must leave the website in order to comply with government restrictions.

Why does your IP address show your location as the USA?

  • - you are using a VPN provided by a hosting company based in the United States;
  • - your IP does not have proper WHOIS records;
  • - an error occurred in the WHOIS geolocation database.

Please confirm whether you are a US resident or not by clicking the relevant button below. If you choose the wrong option, being a US resident, you will not be able to open an account with InstaForex anyway.

We are sorry for any inconvenience caused by this message.