EURGBP is one of major currency pairs that may see some more volatile moves today. This is because the Bank of England and European Central Bank are scheduled to announce monetary policy decisions at 12:00 pm GMT and 1:15 pm GMT, respectively. Both are expected to deliver 50 basis point rate hikes.
While ECB members have been quite vocal about the fact that a 50 basis point rate hike is appropriate for today's meeting, recent cycle pause from BoC and slowdown from Fed raises questions whether ECB will alter its approach. A 50 bp rate move looks like a done deal and should the ECB commit to another 50 bp rate hike in March, EUR may benefit. A 50 bp rate hike and a hint that pace of rate increases will slow going forward would be EUR-negative and may support European stock market indices.
On the other hand, things look less rosy when it comes to the Bank of England. The UK economy is facing a recession and BoE knows it very well. Higher interest rates are magnifying the so-called "cost of living crisis" in the United Kingdom and while another rate hike could help combat inflation, Bank of England is facing an increasing public backlash over its tightening. Having said that, there is a scope for a dovish surprise with BoE going in with a 25 basis point rate hike.
Taking a look at EURGBP chart at D1 interval, we can see that the pair has managed to climb above the 0.8880 resistance zone today and has even briefly traded at the highest level since late-September 2022. If ECB provides more fuel for the upward move by hinting at another 50 bp rate hike in March, the pair may look towards the 0.8990 swing area that was tested a few times in the 2019-2020 period and marks a local high from late-September 2022. A dovish Bank of England would also support a bullish scenario on the pair.
Source: xStation5
