GBP/CAD Poised for Breakout – What’s Next After 1.8600?1. TECHNICAL CONTEXT (Daily Chart)
GBP/CAD has been trading within a well-defined ascending channel since early 2025. After hitting the lower bound of the channel around 1.8050 in May, price bounced sharply and regained strength, pushing back above the key 1.8400–1.8450 zone, now confirmed as new support.
Currently, price is approaching the 1.8600 area, which represents:
The upper boundary of the April–May consolidation range
A clear supply zone visible on the weekly chart
A technical resistance cluster (previous closes + Fibonacci levels)
The RSI shows growing momentum, yet not overbought, suggesting potential upside extension toward 1.8779, the monthly high.
Key Technical Levels:
Resistance: 1.8600 – 1.8779 (extended target)
Support: 1.8401 (weekly) and 1.8250 (mid-range level)
Primary Trend: Bullish
Structure: Active ascending channel
2. INSTITUTIONAL POSITIONING (COT REPORT – May 13, 2025)
CAD:
Non-Commercials (speculators) are heavily net short:
23,250 longs vs 105,466 shorts = -82,216 net
Weekly increase: +18,084 new shorts → clear rise in bearish pressure
Commercials (hedgers) are net long, typical of risk hedging, indicating an opposing view to speculators
GBP:
Non-Commercials are net long:
89,540 longs vs 62,324 shorts = +27,216 net, despite a minor weekly reduction (-4,844)
Commercials are net short, likely hedging strength in the pound
COT Takeaway:
Speculators are clearly favoring GBP strength vs CAD, while CAD is under heavy short pressure. This supports further upside in GBP/CAD.
3. RETAIL SENTIMENT
80% of retail traders are short GBP/CAD, with an average entry at 1.8551
20% long, with average entry at 1.8147
This extreme retail skew represents a contrarian bullish signal: the market may push higher to trigger stop-losses on poorly positioned shorts.
4. SEASONALITY
CAD in May:
Mixed behavior with a slight bearish/neutral tendency on 10y and 2y averages
Monthly average: as low as -0.0097 (10-year data)
GBP in May:
Historically one of the weakest months for the British pound
Average returns range between -0.015 and -0.0226
That said, 2025 appears to diverge from seasonal norms, with GBP showing relative strength across the board.
Seasonality Takeaway:
While seasonality favors CAD over GBP in May, this year’s price action and positioning override that pattern.
TRADING SUMMARY
🔹 Primary Bias: Moderately Bullish
🔹 Technical Outlook: Positive structure above key support at 1.8400
🔹 COT Insight: Supports upside due to aggressive CAD short buildup
🔹 Retail Sentiment: Skewed short → potential short squeeze
🔹 Seasonality: Bearish for GBP, but currently outweighed by fundamentals/positioning
SCENARIOS
📈 Bullish Scenario (preferred):
Break and hold above 1.8600 → acceleration toward 1.8779
Midway target: 1.8670 (psychological level)
Technical stop: Below 1.8400 (or trailing SL on breakout)
📉 Corrective Scenario:
Failure at 1.8600 → pullback to 1.8401 (bullish retest)
Deeper weakness only confirmed on break below 1.8250, which would invalidate the ascending channel
CONCLUSION
GBP/CAD is in a structurally bullish setup, backed by speculative favor toward GBP and an extreme short bias on CAD. Despite the unfavorable seasonality for GBP, the technical trend and positioning data justify a bullish outlook with a target at 1.8779, contingent on a confirmed break above 1.8600.
