In early Asian trading on Thursday, GBP/USD attracted some sellers after falling from a daily high of 1.2640 to 1.2614. The latest hawkish comments from a Fed official supported the GBP/USD pair’s decline.
In early trading on Wednesday, Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller said that the Fed is in no rush to lower its benchmark interest rate and may need to “maintain the current interest rate target for longer than expected.” Waller’s hawkish comments lifted the dollar higher to 104.45, weighing on EUR/USD.
On the other hand, the Bank of England kept interest rates unchanged at 5.25% for the fifth consecutive meeting last week. The Bank of England has turned dovish on its interest rate outlook, which has put some selling pressure on Pound Sterling (GBP). Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey said a rate cut would be “an option for discussion” at a future Bank of England policy meeting.
Market participants will be focused on comments from Bank of England Governor C. Mann and the final UK fourth-quarter gross domestic product report on Thursday. Dovish comments from Bank of England policymakers or weaker-than-expected GDP could increase selling pressure on the pound. In the United States, the annual gross domestic product rate, the number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits last week and the Michigan consumer confidence index will be released later in the day.