GBPUSD pokes key upside hurdles as UK/US PMI, Fed Minutes loom

GBPUSD struggles to defend the five-day uptrend early Wednesday as traders await key activity numbers from the UK and the US, as well as Minutes of the latest Federal Reserve (Fed) monetary policy meeting. It’s worth noting that the US Dollar’s weakness past Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s speech propelled the quote’s previous rebound from a two-month-old horizontal support, enabling buyers to poke the 100-bar SMA. Also underpinning the upside bias are the firmer RSI conditions and the bullish MACD signals. However, the 100-SMA’s bearish cross of the 200-SMA, known as the death cross, challenges the Cable buyers unless crossing the broader moving average, namely the 200-SMA hurdle of 1.2715. Following that, the mid-June swing high of around 1.2740 and 1.2800 become imminent targets for the Pound Sterling buyers before aiming for the previous monthly high of around 1.2860.

Meanwhile, GBPUSD sellers need firmer US data and hawkish Fed Minutes, as well as a successful break of the aforementioned two-month-old horizontal support surrounding 1.2610-15. Following that, the Cable bears will aim for the 1.2550 and the 1.2500 thresholds ahead of challenging May’s bottom surrounding 1.2445. It should be observed that the Pound Sterling’s sustained weakness past 1.2445 will make it vulnerable to challenge the yearly low marked in April surrounding 1.2300.

To sum up, the GBPUSD bulls are at a crossroads and need a fundamental push to keep the reins.