Blog

Market Update

• Posted by currencies in Bank of England, Currency, David Cameron, Dollar, Economy, EUR, Fed, GBP, Inflation, Rate Cuts, Sterling, UK, Uncategorised
• May 3, 2023
• No Comments

The pound gained versus the dollar and held steady against the euro this morning ahead of an expected U.S. Federal Reserve rate hike later in the day and Thursday’s European Central Bank meeting.

The Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee meets next week.

The dollar traded lower against most major currencies as a combination of gloomy U.S. jobs data, a standoff in Washington over the debt ceiling and nervousness following banking collapses made investors jittery and supported market pricing that Wednesday’s expected 25 basis point Fed rate hike will be the last in its current tightening cycle.

Market pricing for the Bank of England in contrast indicates a rate hike next week and a reasonable chance of one more increase in June.

European Central Bank rate setters take centre stage on Thursday and money markets show a roughly 85% chance they will also raise rates by 25 bps, with a 15% chance of a 50 bp move, with more hikes in the months to come.

The pound has performed particularly strongly against the Australian dollar and Japanese yen in recent weeks, though it dipped 0.37% against the Japanese currency on Wednesday to 169.7 yen, moving away from its seven-year top of 172.08 hit in the previous session.