- Pound (GBP) eases as COVID concerns grow
- BoE Andrew Bailey due to speak
- Euro (EUR) recovers are USD pares gains
- ECB speakers due
The Pound Euro (GBP/EUR) exchange rate is consolidating after steep losses in the previous session. The pair settled -0.4% on Monday at €1.1819 after refreshing a 20-month high of €1.1870 earlier in the session. At 05:45 UTC, GBP/EUR trades +0.42% at €1.1825.
After a strong start to Monday the Pound came under pressure as the session pushed on. Whilst expectations of an interest rate hike potentially as soon as December boosted the value of the Pound versus the Euro, sterling was unable to maintain the 20-month high.
Instead concerns over rising covid cases unnerved investors. The number of covid cases jumped to a three-month high on Monday with 49,156 new cases recorded. This was the highest number since July 17. The UK fully lifted the last remaining covid restrictions on July 19 when pubs and restaurants could fully operate along with night.
Looking ahead, there is no high impacting UK economic data due for release today. However, Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey is due to speak. Over the weekend he made some hawkish comments ramping up expectations of a rate hike. More hawkish commentary wouldn’t be a surprise.
The Euro gained ground thanks in part to a softening in the US Dollar. The greenback pared earlier gains following weaker than forecast US industrial production. US factory output contracted by -1.3% month on month, well short of the 0.2% growth forecast. The Euro trades inversely to the US Dollar.
More broadly the Euro trades under pressure versus the Pound amid central bank divergence. Whilst the BoE are considering raising interest rates possibly by the end o the year, the European Central Bank on the other hand are insistent that the pickup in inflation is transitory and are not making many hawkish sounds.
There is no high impacting Eurozone economic data due to be released today. Investors will keep an eye on several ECB policy makers due to hit the airwaves.
