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Good afternoon, dear traders! On the 1H chart, the GBP/USD pair declined to the 1.1933 level last Friday. A little later on Friday, the pair was trying to recover to the Fibonacci correction level of 523.6% - 1.2146. On Monday, the price lost steam. It is likely to resume a downward movement. I have determined a new downtrend corridor, which indicates the bearish sentiment. If the pair consolidates above it, it may rise to 1.2315. However, taking into account the economic reports of recent weeks, I believe that the bearish sentiment could persist for a long time. The fact is that traders have already priced in the sixth rate increase by the BoE. The pound sterling has been rapidly growing for several weeks. Many analysts attributed this rally to the upcoming rate hike by 0.50%.
However, the Fed also raised the benchmark rate by 0.75% a couple of weeks ago. Next month, it may hike it by 0.75% again for the third time in a row. Recently, some Fed officials have backed an increase in the key rate to 4% or even higher. Notably, at the beginning of the year, policymakers talked about the need to raise the interest rate to 3-3.25%. Thus, there could be more rate hikes in the near future. Inflation remains high despite aggressive tightening. The Fed has to wait until this indicator starts declining. Only after that, traders could expect rate cuts. As for now, the Fed is likely to maintain its hawkish stance. The US dollar has an excellent opportunity to advance versus the euro and the pound sterling. Last Friday, US economic reports turned out to be quite strong, which was bullish for the US dollar. Expectations of more rate hikes may also boost the greenback.
On the 4H chart, the pair performed a rebound from the Fibonacci correction level of 127.2% - 1.2250. It fell to 1.1980. If the price bounced off this level, it may grow to 1.2250. If it tumbles below 1.1980, it will open the way to the next Fibonacci level of 161.8% - 1.1709. There are no divergences in any indicators today.
Commitments of Traders (COT):
The mood of the "Non-commercial" category of traders over the past week has become a little more bearish. The number of Long contracts decreased by 5,301 and the number of Short contracts dropped by 2,882. Thus, the general mood of traders remained bearish. The number of Short contracts still exceeds the number of Long ones by several times. Large retail traders continue to sell the pound sterling and their sentiment has not changed lately. The pound sterling has been growing for several weeks. However, COT reports show that it may resume its decline. Besides, an increase in long positions is rather modest to count on an uptrend.
Economic calendar for US and UK:
On Monday, the economic calendar for the UK and the US do not contain market-driving events. Thus, fundamental factors will not affect market sentiment.
Outlook for GBP/USD and trading recommendations:
I recommended opening short if the price drops below the upward corridor on the 1H chart with the prospect of a drop to 1.1933. It was also possible to sell the pound sterling after a pullback from the 1.2250 level on the 4H chart. It is better to open long positions if the price consolidates above the upward corridor on the 1H with the target level of 1.2315.
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