British Pound shakes off US CPI jolt as UK growth steals spotlight

On Friday, the British Pound Sterling (GBP) edged upwards against the US Dollar (USD), buoyed by the UK's impressive GDP growth and muted expectations for a Federal Reserve (Fed) rate increase. Despite the US Consumer Price Index (CPI) report hovering around forecasts, traders initially favored a stronger US Dollar, but the gains soon receded.

At the moment, GBP/USD is trading at 1.3524, after dipping to approximately 1.3470 during the CPI release. The US CPI rose 0.4% month-over-month and expanded by 3.4% year-on-year, both matching expectations. Core CPI rose 0.3% above estimates and, in the twelve months to August, it was 2.4%, down from July's 2.5% and aligned with forecasts.

Money markets now project an 88% chance of a 25 basis point Fed funds rate hike, up from around 60% a day prior. Meanwhile, US households show growing economic pessimism as the University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment survey for September fell to 47.8, below the forecasted 51. In the UK, July's GDP grew by 1.6% year-on-year, above expectations of 1.2%, and grew by 0.4% month-on-month, surpassing the 0% projection.

BoE Governor Andrew Bailey affirmed that while markets anticipate further rate hikes, he clarified that they are not imminent. The next focus for traders is the Federal Reserve's monetary policy decision, followed by the BoE meeting on Thursday. Currently, GBP/USD is holding a bullish bias, trading above a critical support cluster and near a rising trend-line, while the Relative Strength Index (14) remains neutral, indicating bulls are defending the floor but lacking strong conviction at this juncture.