25.01.201800:18 Forex Analysis & Reviews: Pound updates annual highs on the background of the report on the labor market

The euro managed to strengthen against the US dollar in the morning against the backdrop of data indicating the likely retention of the euro zone's economic growth rates earlier this year. However, a serious breakthrough in important levels of resistance has not occurred, indicating a restrained demand for risky assets.

According to the IHS Markit report, Germany's economy continues to show good results in early 2018 due to the growth of activity in the services sector. So, the index of supply managers for the German services sector in January 2018 increased to 57.0 points against 55.8 points in December. Economists, on the contrary, expected a decline in the index. The index for the manufacturing sector in January fell slightly, to 61.2 points.

In the eurozone, there are also signs of stable growth, as evidenced by the data.

According to the IHS Markit report, the preliminary composite index of supply managers of the eurozone in January 2018 increased to 58.6 points against 58.1 points in December. It should be noted that the index values above 50 indicate an increase in activity. This growth in the index corresponds to a quarterly growth of the economy by 1%.

In France, the preliminary index of supply managers for the manufacturing sector in January this year dropped to 58.1 points against the December value of 58.8 points. But the preliminary index of supply managers for the services sector, on the contrary, increased in January to 59.3 points against 59.1 points in December. Economists had expected that the service sector index would drop to a level of 58.9 points.

As for the technical picture of the EURUSD pair, there have been no significant changes. The main objective of euro buyers today will be to keep above the 1.2300 area, which will make it possible to count on continuing the upward trend, with the update of the new significant highs of 1.2390 and 1.2430.

The British pound continued its growth against the US dollar, after it became known that the employment rate in the UK from September to November 2017 reached a record high. Meanwhile, wages in the UK declined, which indicates a worsening of the financial situation of consumers after the referendum on Brexit.

According to a report by the National Bureau of Statistics, the employment rate in the UK was 4.3%, which fully coincided with the forecasts of economists. The average earnings in the UK for the period increased by 2.4%, while real wages fell by 0.5%.