GBP/USD – Slight Gains As UK Employment Numbers Impress

GBP/USD has moved higher on Wednesday and is trading in the high-1.67 range early in the North American session. On the release front, British Claimant Count Change beat the estimate and the Unemployment Rate dropped to a five-year low. On a less positive note, Average Earnings Index slipped to a seven-month low. In the US, Crude Oil Inventories improved in May but fell short of the estimate.

British employment numbers looked sharp on Wednesday. Claimant Count Change improved to -27.4 thousand, beating the estimate of -25.0 thousand. As well, the Unemployment Rate dropped to 6.6%, edging below the estimate of 6.7%. This marked the lowest rate since January 2009, and has furthered speculation that the BOE could raise interest rates before the end of the year. Earlier in the week, Manufacturing Production, a key release, posted a strong gain of 0.4%, matching the forecast. The NIESR GDP estimate, which helps analysts track GDP on a monthly basis, posted another strong gain, coming in at 0.9%.

There was more good news on the US employment front, as JOLTS Job Openings jumped to 4.46 million, up sharply from 4.01 million a month earlier. This easily beat the estimate of 4.04 million, and comes on the heels of a positive Nonfarm Payrolls and a drop in the Unemployment Rate. We’ll get a look at the all-important Unemployment Claims on Thursday, and a strong reading could give a lift to the US dollar.

 

GBP/USD for Wednesday, June 11, 2014

GBP/USD June 11 at 17:40 GMT

GBP/USD 1.6783 H: 1.6798 L: 1.6739

 

GBP/USD Technical

S3 S2 S1 R1 R2 R3
1.6463 1.6605 1.6700 1.6825 1.6920 1.7000

 

  • GBP/USD has posted gains on Wednesday. The pair flirted with the 1.68 line early in the European session.
  • 1.6825 is a weak resistance line. 1.6920 is stronger.
  • The round number of 1.6700 is providing support.
  • Current range: 1.6700 to 1.6825.

Further levels in both directions:

  • Below: 1.6705, 16605, 1.6463 and 1.6286
  • Above: 1.6825, 16920, 1.70 and 1.7192

 

OANDA’s Open Positions Ratio

GBP/USD is pointing to gains in Wednesday trading. This is consistent with the movement of the pair, as the pound has recorded gains against the dollar. A majority of the positions in the GBP/USD ratio are short, indicative of a trader bias towards the dollar changing directions and moving higher.

GBP/USD has posted gains on Wednesday. The pair is unchanged in the North American session.

 

GBP/USD Fundamentals

  • 8:30 British Claimant Count Change. Estimate -25.0K. Actual -27.4K.
  • 8:30 British Unemployment Rate. Estimate 6.7%. Actual 6.6%.
  • 8:30 British Average Earnings Index. Estimate 1.2%. Actual 0.7%.
  • 14:30 US Crude Oil Inventories. Estimate -1.3M. Actual -2.6M.
  • 17:01 US 10-year Bond Auction.
  • 18:00 US Federal Budget Balance. Estimate -132.8B.

 

*Key releases are highlighted in bold

*All release times are GMT

This article is for general information purposes only. It is not investment advice or a solution to buy or sell securities. Opinions are the authors; not necessarily that of OANDA Corporation or any of its affiliates, subsidiaries, officers or directors. Leveraged trading is high risk and not suitable for all. You could lose all of your deposited funds.

Kenny Fisher

Kenny Fisher

Market Analyst at OANDA
A highly experienced financial market analyst with a focus on fundamental analysis, Kenneth Fisher’s daily commentary covers a broad range of markets including forex, equities and commodities. His work has been published in several major online financial publications including Investing.com, Seeking Alpha and FXStreet. Based in Israel, Kenny has been a MarketPulse contributor since 2012.