Pound Bullish on Friday after Rebound from BoE Decision-Induced Fall

After losing 2% as a result of the Bank of England’s (BoE) highest interest rate hike in three decades, the pound rebounded on Friday but was still on track for its greatest weekly loss in six weeks.

Pound Records Worst Weekly Decline Against the Dollar Since Truss’ Era

The pound was trading at $1.1236, up 0.71% against the dollar in the North American session on Friday but down 3.3% for the week, its worst weekly decline since the British government’s now-largely-canceled mini-budget on tax cuts was announced on September 23. At 87.115 pence to the euro, the pound was 0.26% more expensive than the euro.

The BoE increased its base rate by 75 basis points (bps) on Thursday in an effort to reduce double-digit inflation. Because Britain is at risk of experiencing its deepest recession in at least a century, it was stated that borrowing costs may not increase as dramatically as some anticipate.

The Federal Reserve raised interest rates on Wednesday, but the Fed’s accompanying message contrasts with the BoE’s in that the Fed warned the peak in US rates was likely to end up higher than speculators anticipate.

Commenting on the price action for the forex pair, Colin Asher, a senior economist at Mizuho, noted:

“The main driver for cable this week was the sharp contrast between the hawkish Fed and the dovish BoE. Given the respective central bank developments, it’s not surprising that cable has dropped sharply.”

A negative element for the pound is the 1.6% weekly increase in the value of the US dollar.

Asher further stated that “the Fed’s main concern remains inflation, while the BoE is much more worried about [a] recession.”

Huw Pill, the chief economist at the BoE, reaffirmed the bank’s position on rates on Friday, saying that they were likely to rise but probably not as much as investors had anticipated in light of recent political and market volatility in Britain.

With hints that public spending will be constrained and possible tax increases, the market is now anticipating the planned fiscal statement from Britain’s new finance minister, Jeremy Hunt, due on November 17.