Event to pay attention to today:
15:30 EET. USD – Unemployment Claims
GBPUSD:
The GBP/USD pair is holding strong following losses on the previous two consecutive days, trading at around 1.25900 during the Asian session on Thursday. However, the pair is under pressure due to concerns over tariffs from US President Donald Trump, which have led to increased demand for the US Dollar (USD).According to Bloomberg, Trump announced plans to impose 25 per cent tariffs on foreign cars on Tuesday, as well as expected duty hikes on semiconductor chips and pharmaceutical products. The official announcement is expected to be made on 2 April.Market participants are now focusing on key US economic data, including weekly initial jobless claims, the central bank’s leading economic index and the Philadelphia Fed manufacturing index, which will be released during the North American session.The minutes of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting for January, released on Wednesday, confirmed the decision to leave interest rates unchanged in January. The committee emphasised that further assessment of economic activity, labour market trends and inflation was required before any adjustments to rates could be considered, and that clear indications of falling inflation were necessary for any rate cuts to be implemented.Despite the release of better-than-expected annual inflation figures on Wednesday, the British pound (GBP) did not strengthen.
The UK Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported that January’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 3.0% year-on-year, beating December’s 2.5% rise and market expectations of 2.8%. This figure remains well above the Bank of England’s (BoE) inflation target of 2%.Bank of England directors have previously recognised that inflation could rise in the short term due to higher energy prices and then gradually return to target. Earlier this week, Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey reiterated that while inflation may rise temporarily, he does not expect it to be sustainable and still sees a gradual disinflationary trend.
Trading recommendation: BUY 1.26000, SL 1.25350, TP 1.26700