British Pound Remains at the Crossroads Ahead of the U.K. Retail Sales Report

Retail sales in Great Britain are expected to rise 0.4 percent in October after falling 0.2 percent the month prior. At the same time, sales excluding auto fuel are estimated to rise 0.2 percent during the same period. Indeed, this may be the last push higher heading into the Christmas season. A rise in tomorrow’s figures will be the first increase since July of this year where the National Statistics in London said that sales rose 0.9 percent. I expect non specialized store sales to extend September’s advance, while clothing and footwear sales will likely reverse last month’s decline.


In the upcoming months, retail sales are expected to come back under pressure as higher value added taxes will weigh on household spending. These measures are estimated to begin in January. At the same time the massive spending cuts recently announced by the government will also put downward pressure on retail sales. The fiscal tightening measures proposed by Chancellor George Osborne marks the largest cuts in decades, and will in turn weigh on growth. All in all, a reading exceeding expectations will bode well for the British pound, but the advance may be short lived as sales and overall growth in the region will likely come back under pressure in 2011 amid tough austerity measures by the government in order to battle its high budget debt. However, a disappointing result could push the pound lower and lead to a key reversal in the GBPUSD.



Technical Outlook


GBPUSD Daily Chart


Charts Created Using Intellicharts – Prepared by Michael Wright


GBPUSD: The pair has extended its two day decline and is now testing the rising trend line dating back to the middle of May. Failure to break back below this level of support may lead the pair back towards the 1.59 area. However, yesterday’s drop below the key 1.60 level is of great concern as the dollar index has worked its way into a tight ascending channel on the daily chart. Unless the greenback buckles, I do not rule out a reversal in the GBPUSD in the near term.