TheNews

Trading the News: U.K. Retail Sales

The U.K. Retail Sales report may produce headwinds for the British Pound and drag on GBP/USD as signs of a slowing recovery provides the Bank of England (BoE) with greater scope to further delay its normalization cycle.

What’s Expected:



Why Is This Event Important:

Even though BoE argues that the next policy move will be to lift the benchmark interest rate off of the record-low, the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) may preserve its current policy throughout 2016 in an effort to mitigate the downside risks surrounding the real economy.

Nevertheless, the expansion in private-sector lending paired with the ongoing improvement in labor-market dynamics may boost household spending, and a positive development may generate a near-term rebound in GBP/USD as it puts pressure on Governor Mark Carney and Co. to normalize monetary policy sooner rather than later.

How To Trade This Event Risk
Bearish GBP Trade: Retail Sales Slips 1.0% or Greater

• Need red, five-minute candle following the GDP report to consider a short British Pound trade.
• If market reaction favors bearish sterling trade, short GBP/USD with two separate position.
• Set stop at the near-by swing high/reasonable distance from entry; look for at least 1:1 risk-to-reward.
• Move stop to entry on remaining position once initial target is hit, set reasonable limit.

Bullish GBP Trade: U.K. Consumption Beats Market Expectations

• Need green, five-minute candle to favor a long GBP/USD trade.
• Implement same setup as the bearish British Pound trade, just in reverse.

Potential Price Targets For The Release
GBPUSD Daily

• Longer-term outlook for GBP/USD remains tilted to the downside as the BoE continues to endorse a wait-and-see approach in 2016, and the pair may continue to carve a series of lower highs & lows over the near to medium-term should the Relative Strength Index (RSI) fail to retain the bullish formation carried over from earlier this year.
• Interim Resistance: 1.4910 (61.8% retracement) to 1.4930 (38.2% expansion)
• Interim Support: 1.3870 (78.6% expansion) and 1.4000 pivot

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