- GBP/USD gains traction to near 1.3390 in Wednesday’s early European session.
- Iranian officials warned Gulf states have a “legal and moral responsibility” to prevent US and Israeli strikes.
- The US May CPI inflation report will take center stage on Wednesday.
The GBP/USD pair trades in positive territory around 1.3390 during the early European trading hours on Wednesday. Markets might turn cautious later in the day ahead of the US May Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation report. On Friday, the monthly UK Gross Domestic Product data will be in the spotlight.
Financial markets had expected the Bank of England (BoE) to cut interest rates twice this year to 3.25%. Since the US-Iran war began, the situation has reversed, and now a rise of 25 basis points (bpd) before December is projected, according to CNBC.
Nonetheless, the potential upside for the British Pound (GBP) might be limited as renewed tensions in the Middle East weigh on the riskier assets. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Wednesday warned that its neighbors in the Gulf have a “legal and moral responsibility” to prevent American and Israeli strikes.
This statement came as the US launched retaliatory strikes against Iran on Tuesday in what it called a proportional response to the shooting down of a US helicopter gunship near the Strait of Hormuz a day earlier.
The US CPI inflation report will be closely watched as it could give some hints about the US interest rate path. If the reports show hotter-than-expected outcomes, this could lead traders to price in a higher probability of the Federal Reserve (Fed) raising interest rates, which would provide some support to the USD against the GBP.
