LONDON, July 11 — Sterling rose to a 15-month high against the dollar today after hot British labour data underscored market expectations of more interest rate rises from the Bank of England (BoE), and the greenback softened across the board.
The pound rose as high as US$1.2913 (RM6.01), its highest since April 2022, and was last trading just shy of that level, up 0.37 per cent.
It has gained 6.6 per cent so far this year, the best performing major currency against the dollar in 2023, as price rises in Britain prove stickier than inflation elsewhere, prompting traders to bet that the BoE will raise rates higher than other central banks.
Current market pricing indicates roughly a further 125 basis points of rate hikes from the BoE, much more than for the Federal Reserve or European Central Bank.
Higher rates are typically a boost for a currency in the near term, though many analysts say the resulting hit to economic growth would weigh on the pound in the long run.
Today’s data showed a key measure of British wages matched its highest growth rate on record, though the unemployment rate did rise unexpectedly.
“The wage data indicated there is more work to do for the Bank of England and second order inflationary pressures are still in the pipeline,” said Jane Foley, head of FX strategy at Rabobank.
She said while those further rate rises were already in the price, today’s data had reinforced such views.
Sterling’s gain against the dollar was also helped by a broad dollar decline. The dollar index, which tracks the unit against six major peers, including the pound, was down 0.18 per cent at a two-month low, though US CPI data due tomorrow could stem that decline if it comes in higher than expected.
The pound also strengthened against the euro, which dropped 0.34 per cent to 85.23 pence, its lowest since mid-June. — Reuters
