The GBP/USD pair continues to experience downward pressure, primarily due to the resilience of the US Dollar. After breaking the key psychological level of 1.3100 following the release of stronger-than-expected US Nonfarm Payrolls (NFP) data, GBP/USD remains in a corrective phase. The NFP report showed a job growth of 254K in September, significantly surpassing the 140K forecast. Additionally, the Unemployment Rate dropped to 4.1%, further strengthening the US labor market outlook and reducing the likelihood of aggressive rate cuts by the Federal Reserve (Fed). As a result, the US Dollar has extended its gains, limiting any upward momentum for GBP/USD.
Fundamentally, the Pound remains under pressure due to the dovish rhetoric from Bank of England (BoE) officials. Early Thursday, Governor Andrew Bailey's comments triggered a selloff in the Pound as the market interpreted his remarks as signaling imminent monetary easing. Although BoE Chief Economist Huw Pill struck a more cautious tone, stating that policymakers must avoid cutting rates "too far or too fast," this has done little to offset the bearish sentiment.
In conclusion, the combination of a stronger US Dollar, resilient US labor market data, and the dovish BoE rhetoric creates a challenging environment for GBP/USD. Unless the pair can break through key resistance levels, the path of least resistance remains to the downside, with potential targets at 1.3050 and 1.3000 in the short term.