- GBP/USD attracts fresh buyers following a modest bearish gap down opening to mid-1.3500s.
- Easing UK political risks and the BoE’s hawkish signal underpin the GBP, supporting spot prices.
- Iran tensions and reviving Fed rate hike bets benefit the safe-haven USD and might cap the pair.
The GBP/USD pair fills a major part of its weekly bearish gap opening on Monday and is now looking to extend the momentum further beyond the 1.3600 mark. Spot prices, however, remain below the 1.3635 horizontal resistance and the highest level since February 16, touched earlier this month, warranting caution for bullish traders amid a modest US Dollar (USD) strength.
Against the backdrop of renewed hostilities in the Strait of Hormuz, disagreements over Tehran’s nuclear program dampen bets for a US-Iran peace deal. US President Donald Trump and Iran both rejected each other’s peace proposals for ending the war and the gradual reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. This keeps geopolitical risks in play, which, along with hawkish US Federal Reserve (Fed) expectations, turn out to be key factors underpinning the safe-haven USD.
The US-Iran standoff triggers a fresh leg up in Crude Oil prices, fueling inflationary concerns and keeping hopes alive for at least one 25-basis-point (bps) rate hike by the US central bank in 2026. In fact, the CME Group’s FedWatch Tool indicates a nearly 20% chance that the Fed will raise borrowing costs by the end of this year. That said, easing UK political uncertainty underpins the British Pound (GBP) and might continue to act as a tailwind for the GBP/USD pair.
In fact, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he would not resign after local election results in Britain confirmed expectations of significant losses for the ruling Labour Party. Furthermore, the Bank of England’s (BoE) signal last week that rate hikes could be appropriate if inflation remains persistent turns out to be another factor lending some support to the GBP and contributes to the GBP/USD pair’s goodish intraday move up from the 1.3550 horizontal support zone.
The BoE’s MPC member Megan Greene said earlier today that the central bank needs to wait to see how Middle East conflicts will flare before making any monetary policy adjustments, and that Inflation risks are skewed entirely to the upside. This, in turn, backs the case for a further appreciating move for the GBP/USD pair, though traders might opt to wait for the release of the latest US consumer inflation figures on Tuesday and the Trump-Xi summit later this week.
