Fundamental Market Analysis for April 14, 2025 GBPUSDThe initial market reaction to US President Donald Trump's decision last week to suspend sweeping reciprocal tariffs for 90 days was short-lived amid heightened fears of a US recession amid an escalating trade war between the US and China. China's 84 per cent tariffs on US goods went into effect on Thursday, and Trump raised duties on Chinese imports to an unprecedented 145 per cent. Given that the US still imports a number of hard-to-replace materials from China, these developments have weakened confidence in the US economy.
Meanwhile, data released last week showed that the US consumer price index (CPI) declined 0.1% in March, while core CPI rose +2.8% year-on-year, below consensus forecasts. In fact, markets are now pricing in the likelihood of a 90 basis point rate cut before the end of this year. Conversely, investors believe the likelihood of a Bank of England (BoE) interest rate cut next month is slightly less likely.
The aforementioned favourable fundamental backdrop supports a positive outlook for spot prices in the near term, although bulls seem reluctant to make aggressive bets and prefer to wait for important UK macro releases. Tuesday will see the release of the all-important monthly employment report, followed by the latest consumer inflation data on Wednesday. In addition, this week investors will be keeping an eye on the release of monthly US retail sales data and Fed Chairman Jerome Powell's speech, which will play a key role in influencing dollar price action. This, in turn, should give a significant impetus to the GBP/USD pair in the second half of the week.
Trading recommendation: BUY 1.3130, SL 1.3010, TP 1.3310
