Recent sessions have unleashed remarkable volatility upon the EURGBP currency pair, stirred by the unveiling of the latest inflation data from both economies. The UK took the market by surprise, with inflation showing an uptick for the first time in ten months. The year-over-year figure landed at 4%, a slight increase from the previous 3.9%, albeit missing the 3.8% forecast. Contrary to expectations, core inflation held firm at 5.1%, failing to ease to 4.9% as predicted.
These developments led to a scaling back of expectations for imminent rate cuts by the Bank of England. The Pound gained strength, potentially lagging behind other major currencies in its journey toward easing, creating a potential headwind for the currency pair. This dynamic was accentuated by Eurozone inflation, which aligned with consensus. Year-over-year inflation met expectations by rising from 2.4% to 2.9%, while core inflation followed predictions by slowing from 3.6% to 3.4%. The European Central Bank is now perceived as being closer to its first rate cut.
Following this news, the currency pair breached a critical support level, opening up opportunities for traders as we move forward.
Technical
On the 4H chart, the currency pair consolidated in a rectangle pattern between 0.8588 and 0.8616 before the inflation releases, which triggered a breakdown at the lower support. Since then, a retracement occurred, with the pair retesting the breakdown level, potentially setting the price action up for a break and retest setup.
If support-turned-resistance at 0.8588 prevents additional upside from the retracement, a new bearish direction could emerge. Support at 0.8582 could be the first barrier to cross, after which the pair could reach the support level where the initial retracement occurred at 0.8568. This support could be crucial in determining whether a new downtrend could be sustained toward 0.8561 and 0.8556, where a demand zone could hold buyers.
However, if the pair breaches the resistance at 0.8588, it could re-emerge in the sideways rectangle pattern, with the 25-SMA (green line) and 50-SMA (blue line) offering the first resistance at 0.8596 and 0.8599, respectively. Any movement above these levels could signal a bullish shift in momentum, which could bring the prior rectangle resistance at 0.8616 back into the spotlight.
Summary
Immense volatility caused by the inflation releases on Wednesday has triggered a breakdown of the consolidation range between 0.8588 and 0.8616. A retracement has since commenced, and the price action around the 0.8588 level could determine the next directional move for the currency pair.
Sources: Koyfin, Tradingview
Piece written by Tiaan van Aswegen, Trive Financial Market Analyst
Disclaimer: Trive South Africa (Pty) Ltd (hereinafter referred to as “Trive SA”), with registration number 2005/011130/07, is an authorised Financial Services Provider in terms of the Financial Advisory and Intermediary Services Act, 37 of 2002. Trive SA is authorised and regulated by the South African Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) and holds FSP number 27231. Trive Financial Services Ltd (hereinafter referred to as “Trive MU”) holds an Investment Dealer (Full-Service Dealer, excluding Underwriting) Licence with licence number GB21026295 pursuant to section 29 of the Securities Act 2005, Rule 4 of the Securities Rules 2007, and the Financial Services Rules 2008. Trive MU is authorized and regulated by the Mauritius Financial Services Commission (FSC) and holds Global Business Licence number GB21026295 under Section 72(6) of the Financial Services Act. Trive SA and Trive MU are collectively known and referred to as “Trive Africa”.
Market and economic conditions are subject to sudden change which may have a material impact on the outcome of financial instruments and may not be suitable for all investors. Trive Africa and its employees assume no liability for any loss or damage (direct, indirect, consequential, or inconsequential) that may be suffered. Please consider the risks involved before you trade or invest. All trades on the Trive Africa platform are subject to the legal terms and conditions to which you agree to be bound. Brand Logos are owned by the respective companies and not by Trive Africa. The use of a company’s brand logo does not represent an endorsement of Trive Africa by the company, nor an endorsement of the company by Trive Africa, nor does it necessarily imply any contractual relationship. Images are for illustrative purposes only and past performance is not necessarily an indication of future performance. No services are offered to stateless persons, persons under the age of 18 years, persons and/or residents of sanctioned countries or any other jurisdiction where the distribution of leveraged instruments is prohibited, and citizens of any state or country where it may be against the law of that country to trade with a South African and/or Mauritius based company and/or where the services are not made available by Trive Africa to hold an account with us. In any case, above all, it is your responsibility to avoid contravening any legislation in the country from where you are at the time.
CFDs and other margin products are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. You should consider whether you understand how these products work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money. Professional clients can lose more than they deposit. See our full Risk Disclosure and Terms of Business for further details. Some or all of the services and products are not offered to citizens or residents of certain jurisdictions where international sanctions or local regulatory requirements restrict or prohibit them.