GBP/USD trades stronger above 1.3350 amid dovish Fed and softer US PCE data

• GBP/USD remains firm around 1.3385 in Monday’s early Asian session. 
• August US PCE inflation eased to within reach of the Fed target. 
• The BoE is expected to cut interest rates once by the year-end.

The GBP/USD pair holds positive ground near 1.3385 during the early Asian session on Monday. Expectations of further interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve (Fed) and the less dovish stance of the Bank of England's (BoE) less dovish rate cut bets provide some support to the major pair. Fed Governor Michelle Bowman is scheduled to speak later on Monday. 

US inflation has cooled to a pace nearer to the Fed's 2% target. The headline Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) Price Index rose by 2.2% year-over-year in August, compared to 2.5% in July, the US Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) showed on Friday. This figure was softer than the estimations of 2.3%. The core PCE climbed 2.7% in August, in line with the consensus.

On a monthly basis, the PCE Price Index increased by 0.1% in the same report period. Interest rate futures contracts have priced in a nearly 54% chance of a half-point cut in November, versus a 46% possibility of a quarter-point cut, according to the CME FedWatch Tool. 

The upside of the Pound Sterling (GBP) is supported by the anticipation that the BoE rate-cutting cycle is likely to be slower than in the United States (US). This, in turn, acts as a tailwind for GBP/USD. Amid the lack of top-tier UK economic data released from the UK docket this week, the GBP will be influenced by market expectations for the BoE monetary policy action for the remainder of the year.

BoE FAQs

What does the Bank of England do and how does it impact the Pound?

The Bank of England (BoE) decides monetary policy for the United Kingdom. Its primary goal is to achieve ‘price stability’, or a steady inflation rate of 2%. Its tool for achieving this is via the adjustment of base lending rates. The BoE sets the rate at which it lends to commercial banks and banks lend to each other, determining the level of interest rates in the economy overall. This also impacts the value of the Pound Sterling (GBP).

How does the Bank of England’s monetary policy influence Sterling?

When inflation is above the Bank of England’s target it responds by raising interest rates, making it more expensive for people and businesses to access credit. This is positive for the Pound Sterling because higher interest rates make the UK a more attractive place for global investors to park their money. When inflation falls below target, it is a sign economic growth is slowing, and the BoE will consider lowering interest rates to cheapen credit in the hope businesses will borrow to invest in growth-generating projects – a negative for the Pound Sterling.

What is Quantitative Easing (QE) and how does it affect the Pound?

In extreme situations, the Bank of England can enact a policy called Quantitative Easing (QE). QE is the process by which the BoE substantially increases the flow of credit in a stuck financial system. QE is a last resort policy when lowering interest rates will not achieve the necessary result. The process of QE involves the BoE printing money to buy assets – usually government or AAA-rated corporate bonds – from banks and other financial institutions. QE usually results in a weaker Pound Sterling.

What is Quantitative tightening (QT) and how does it affect the Pound Sterling?

Quantitative tightening (QT) is the reverse of QE, enacted when the economy is strengthening and inflation starts rising. Whilst in QE the Bank of England (BoE) purchases government and corporate bonds from financial institutions to encourage them to lend; in QT, the BoE stops buying more bonds, and stops reinvesting the principal maturing on the bonds it already holds. It is usually positive for the Pound Sterling.

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