07:00 GMT, United Kingdom – labour market data for December:
-
Unemployment rate: actual 5.2%, forecast 5.2%, previous 5.1%
-
Average Earnings Index: actual 4.2%, forecast 4.2%, previous 4.5%
-
Average Earnings Index + Bonus: actual 4.2%, forecast 4.6%, previous 4.6%
-
Employment change 3M/3M: actual 52K, previous 82K
The UK labor market continues to soften, with the unemployment rate climbing to 5.2% and payrolled employees dropping by 134,000 year-on-year in January 2026 (early estimates). While the employment rate dipped to 75.0%, vacancies remained stagnant at 726,000.
Cooling wage pressures are evident as annual earnings growth hit 4.2%, leaving real-term gains at a modest 0.5%. Despite public sector pay resilience, the broader decline in payrolls and rising claimant counts (1.691m) signal a weakening trend.
This fundamental cooling fueled the GBPUSD dip below the key support level of 1.36000 as markets price in a more cautious economic outlook and potentially more easing from Bank of England.
Source: xStation5
Daily summary: Nervous anticipation, SaaS sell-off and weak macro data
βSaaS-pocalypseβ continued
Three Markets to Watch in the Week Ahead (10.04.2026)
BREAKING: University of Michigan - weaker consument, higher inflation
The material on this page does not constitute as financial advice and does not take into account your level of understanding, investment objectives, financial situation or any other particular needs.
All the information provided, including opinions, market research, mathematical results and technical analyses published on the website or transmitted to you by other means is provided for information purposes only and should in no event be interpreted as an offer of, or solicitation for, a transaction in any financial instrument, nor should the information provided be construed as advice of legal or fiscal nature.
Any investment decisions you make shall be based exclusively on your level of understanding, investment objectives, financial situation or any other particular needs. Any decision to act on information published on the website or transmitted to you by other means is entirely at your own risk. You are solely responsible for such decisions.
If you are in doubt or are not sure that you understand a particular product, instrument, service, or transaction, you should seek professional or legal advice before trading.
Investing in OTC Derivatives carries a high degree of risk, as they are leveraged based products and often small movements in the market could lead to much larger movements in the value of your investment and this could work against you or for you. Please ensure that you fully understand the risks involved, taking into account your investments objectives and level of experience, before trading, and if necessary, seek independent advice.
