Pound Sterling Declines Despite Neutral News

 | Dec 08, 2021 03:53AM ET

Despite the lack of any strong reasons, the pound was steadily declining for most of the trading session. Notably, the economic calendar was empty at that time, and central bank officials did not make any statements either. The only bearish factor was the increased risk of monetary policy tightening by the Federal Reserve.

It seems that the reason for the falling pound was very speculative. This is precisely what happened, given that the sterling began to recoup its losses closer to the opening of the New York trading session. So, GBP almost managed to recover entirely by the end of the day.

Today, however, the situation should be different as markets are waiting for the data on new job openings in the US. This can be a good reason for speculation as well as for the significant depreciation of the US dollar.

The thing is, the official forecast of 10,400 job openings has not been revised. In the previous month, their number was 10,438. At the same time, the report from the US Department of Labor indicates that the number of vacancies is likely to be far less than expected.

Therefore, this will be perceived as a negative factor for the labor market. This should be enough to weaken the US currency. On the other hand, the fact that the number of new job openings has decreased goes well in line with a sharp fall in the unemployment rate.

On the contrary, this could signal a considerable improvement in the labor market. So, after a sharp movement in the pair caused by a purely emotional response, the situation may be back to normal, that is, to initial levels.