The U.S. dollar rose on Thursday, while the pound fell ahead of the Bank of England’s latest meeting.
Dollar rises after the holiday
The U.S. currency rose on Thursday after traders returned to the market following the holiday.
U.S. economic data brings initial jobless claims figures along with housing starts data later in the session, while investors are on the lookout for more signals about when the Federal Reserve will start cutting interest rates.
A number of Fed officials have taken a cautious stance towards expecting rate cuts too soon, looking for more signs that inflation is under control before the Fed begins to ease monetary policy.
Pound loses ground ahead of BoE meeting
GBP/USD retreated 0.1% to 1.2699 ahead of the Bank of England’s latest policy meeting.
The central bank is expected to leave interest rates unchanged, despite data released earlier this week indicating that annual consumer price inflation fell to 2.0%, in line with its medium-term target.
This was a sharp decline from the 41-year high of 11.1% reached in October 2022, but wage growth and underlying price pressures continue to worry the central bank.
EUR/USD fell 0.2% to 1.0718 as political fears in the region continued to weigh on the single currency.
The European Commission said Wednesday that France and six other countries must be disciplined for running budget deficits above EU limits, with deadlines to reduce the gaps to be set in November.
This comes after French President Emmanuel Macron called early elections in the wake of his party’s poor showing in European Parliament elections, plunging the EU’s second-largest economy into political instability.
USD/CHF eased 0.7% to 0.8901 after the Swiss National Bank cut its policy rate by 25 basis points, continuing a cycle of rate cuts initiated in March.
The move was balanced given recent momentum in economic growth and a break in the slight downward trend in Swiss inflation.
Yen remains weak
USD/JPY rose 0.2% in Asia to 158.44, touching one-month highs. The yen continued its trend of weakness after the Bank of Japan took a relatively dovish stance on its bond purchases at its recent policy meeting.
USD/CNY advanced 0.1% to 7.2604, and the Chinese yuan remained under pressure amid uncertainties about the strength of the country’s economic recovery.
