pound-sterling-gbp-coin - GBP

The Pound is edging lower versus the US Dollar on Wednesday after closing Tuesday’s session flat at US$1.2420.

At 06:30, GBP/USD is trading -0.3% at US$1.2380 on coronavirus pessimism. The UK death toll surged 27% and cases jumped 14% despite the lock down measures. Coronavirus headlines and US data will be in focus.

UK Manufacturing Activity To Dip

The Pound is trading on the back foot as investors digest the latest UK coronavirus figures and consider the virus impact on the UK economy.

Today the spotlight falls on the UK manufacturing purchasing mangers index. Analysts are expecting the index to tick lower to 47 for the final estimate in March down from 48. The level 50 separates expansion from contraction.

The data comes following last week’s service sector PMI which showed a plunge in business activity to 37.1. The service sector is the dominant UK economic sector, accounting for around 80% of British economic activity.

Dollar Edges Higher On Mixed Headlines

The Dollar is pushing marginally higher in early trade on mixed coronavirus headlines. On the one hand, President Trump warning of a possible 240,000 deaths in the US sent fear through the market. Yet on the other hand China’s Caixin manufacturing PMI, showed China’s manufacturing activity expanded in March at 50.1. The data has boosted optimism of a recovery following the coronavirus lock down there in February. This is a private survey and so it is, rightly or wrongly, considered more accurate that China’s official data.

Investors are once again seeking out the safe haven properties of the US Dollar amid fresh signs of the pressure that the coronavirus pandemic is piling on economies across the globe. Last night, after previously downplaying the pandemic, President Trump warned that between 100,000 – 250,000 people in the US could die from the deadly virus, even if social distancing measures were followed. He told Americans to prepare for a “very, very painful two weeks”.

Today investors will look towards US manufacturing pmi data. Analysts predict that US manufacturing activity will drop to 45 from 50.1 in February. Manufacturing activity will drop back into contraction after 2 months of expansion, after many factories chose to close for a few weeks amid the coronavirus outbreak. A weaker figure could unnerve investors over the size of the hit to the US economy.