Chart alert: GBP/USD remains firm above 1.3479 ahead of US CPI

• Sterling stays firm: GBP/USD remains in a short-term uptrend above 1.3479 after breaking above its medium-term descending trendline post-NFP.
• US CPI is the key catalyst: A hotter-than-expected core CPI could revive Fed-hike bets and pressure GBP/USD, while softer inflation may extend sterling’s rally.
• 1.3479 is pivotal support: Holding above it keeps 1.3547, 1.3580 and 1.3643 in focus; a break below exposes 1.3440 and 1.3400.

The sterling pound has been one of the best-performing major currencies against the US dollar in the past five trading sessions.

The USD/GBP cross rate has tumbled by 0.38% (a 0.38% gain for GBP against USD) at the time of writing, slightly above USD/CAD, which recorded a 0.56% loss over the same period (see Fig. 1).

Market sentiment remains closely tied to incoming inflation data as investors gauge whether the Federal Reserve will resume rate hikes later this year. Following recent mixed labour market signals, pricing for the September FOMC decision sits close to a coin toss (based on latest data from the CME FedWatch tool, the Fed funds futures market is only pricing in a 48.1% chance of a 25-bps hike, down from around 70% chance a week ago).

• Hot CPI scenario (Core YoY > 2.5%): A surprise to the upside, driven by core goods price pass-throughs, would likely trigger a hawkish repricing in US short-term Treasury yields. This would provide a strong tailwind for the US Dollar Index, exposing GBP/USD to a rapid downward repricing toward the 1.3400 psychological level (also near the 20- and 200-day moving averages).
• Soft CPI scenario (Core YoY ≤ 2.5%): Confirmation of easing services inflation and softer shelter costs would give the Fed breathing room. A softer dollar would reinforce risk appetite, pushing GBP/USD above near-term hurdles toward multi-month highs.

Let’s now decipher the near-term (1 to 3 days) outlook on the GBP/USD from a technical analysis perspective

The price action of GBP/USD has cleared a significant medium-term hurdle after staging a bullish breakout ex-post the US NFP release (a major risk event on Friday, 7 August 2026), above its former descending trendline resistance from the 28 January 2026 high/52-week high.

In addition, it continues to oscillate within a minor ascending channel in place since the 29 July 2026 low of 1.3279, with a current bullish momentum reading on the hourly RSI (see Fig. 2).

These observations suggest that GBP/USD is oscillating within a short- to medium-term uptrend.

Watch the 1.3479 key short-term pivotal support to maintain a near-term bullish bias for the next intermediate resistances to come in at 1.3547, 1.3580 and 1.3643 (also a Fibonacci extension).

On the flip side, a failure to hold and an hourly close below 1.3479 invalidates the minor bullish impulsive up-move sequence, triggering a minor corrective decline towards the next intermediate supports at 1.3440 and 1.3400.