The British pound rose in European trading on Thursday against a basket of global currencies, extending gains for the fifth consecutive day against the US dollar and reaching its highest level in a week, supported by weakness in the US currency in the forex market.

This rise comes ahead of the Bank of England’s monetary policy decision at the conclusion of its fifth regular meeting of 2025, where the bank is widely expected to cut UK interest rates by 25 basis points to a range of 4.00% — the lowest level since February 2023.

Price Overview

• The pound rose against the dollar by 0.15% to $1.3371 — the highest in a week — from today’s opening price of $1.3351, after recording a low of $1.3346.

• On Wednesday, the pound rose by 0.45% against the dollar, marking a fourth straight daily gain amid broad weakness in the US dollar against major and minor currencies.

US Dollar

The US dollar index fell on Thursday by 0.1%, deepening losses for a second session in a row and hitting a two-week low of 98.11 points, reflecting continued decline in the greenback against a basket of global currencies.

Minneapolis Fed President Neel Kashkari said Wednesday that the Federal Reserve may need to cut interest rates in the near term in response to slowing economic growth in the US.

Following his remarks, the probability of a Fed rate cut in September rose from 90% to 94%.

Markets are also focused on President Donald Trump’s nominations to the Federal Reserve Board following the resignation of Fed Governor Adriana Kugler last Friday, as well as his choice for the next Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Trump stated on Tuesday that he would soon announce decisions regarding Kugler’s replacement in the short term, including his pick for the next Fed Chair. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent was ruled out as a candidate to succeed current Fed Chair Jerome Powell, whose term ends in May 2026.

Trump said Bessent "does not want" to be Fed Chair, but four other candidates remain in the running.

Bank of England

Global markets broadly expect the Bank of England to announce a 25-basis-point interest rate cut on Thursday, lowering rates to a range of 4.00% — the lowest since February 2023 — marking the third rate cut this year.

At 12:00 GMT, the BOE is set to release its interest rate decision, monetary policy statement, and voting breakdown.

BOE Governor Andrew Bailey will speak at a press conference at 12:30 GMT to comment on the policy meeting outcome, inflation developments, and the future path of interest rates.

Pound Outlook

At Economies.com, we expect that if the Bank of England and Governor Andrew Bailey deliver more hawkish-than-expected remarks, market expectations of a September rate cut could decline, paving the way for further gains in sterling levels.

The Japanese yen declined in Asian markets on Thursday against a basket of major and minor currencies, retreating from its two-week high against the US dollar amid active profit-taking and corrective movements. The drop followed less hawkish comments from Japanese political leaders, which reduced expectations of a rate hike by the Bank of Japan in September.

Meanwhile, the yield on 10-year US Treasury bonds continues to recover from its lowest level in three months, ahead of President Donald Trump’s upcoming decision on Federal Reserve appointments.

Price Overview

• USD/JPY rose by 0.25% to ¥147.71, up from the opening level of ¥147.34, after hitting a low of ¥147.15.

• The yen gained 0.2% against the dollar at Wednesday’s settlement, resuming its upward momentum after a pause the previous day, during a correction from the two-week high of ¥146.62.

Japanese Commentary

Ken Saito, a senior official in Japan’s ruling party, told Reuters that the Bank of Japan should be cautious about raising interest rates due to the anticipated impact of US tariffs on the fragile economy.

Japanese Interest Rates

• Following these comments, market pricing for a 25-basis-point rate hike by the Bank of Japan in September dropped from 55% to 49%.

• Minutes from the Bank of Japan’s June policy meeting showed that some board members stated the central bank would consider resuming rate hikes if trade tensions eased.

• Investors now await further data on inflation, unemployment, and wage growth in Japan to reprice rate hike expectations.

US Bond Yields

The yield on 10-year US Treasury bonds rose by 0.4% on Thursday, marking a third consecutive session of recovery from the three-month low of 4.186%, lending support to the US dollar’s strength.

This development in the US bond market comes as President Donald Trump prepares to fill the vacant seat on the Federal Reserve Board of Governors and select candidates for the next Fed Chair.

Trump stated on Tuesday that he would make a decision by the end of the week on who will replace outgoing Fed Governor Adriana Kugler. He also narrowed his list of potential replacements for Jerome Powell to four candidates.

The New Zealand dollar strengthened against most major currencies during Wednesday trading following the release of upbeat employment data.

Government figures showed that the employment change index in New Zealand declined by 0.1% in the second quarter, in line with expectations.

The data also revealed that the unemployment rate in New Zealand rose to 5.2% in Q2, up from 5.1% in Q1, while analysts had forecast a higher increase to 5.3%.

In trading, the New Zealand dollar rose by 0.5% against the US dollar to $0.5933 as of 21:03 GMT.

Australian Dollar

The Australian dollar also climbed, rising by 0.4% against the US dollar to $0.6503 as of 21:03 GMT.

US Dollar

The US Dollar Index fell by 0.6% to 98.2 as of 20:48 GMT, after reaching a high of 98.8 and a low of 98.1.

Earlier today, the White House announced that the United States will impose an additional 25% tariff on imports from India, bringing total tariffs on this key trade partner to 50%.

In an executive order, President Donald Trump stated: “I find that the government of India is currently, directly or indirectly, importing oil from the Russian Federation.”

Meanwhile, the President of Switzerland stated that trade talks with the US Secretary of State were productive, although no agreement was reached.

Gold prices held steady during Wednesday trading, despite a decline in the US dollar against most major currencies and renewed concerns over escalating trade tensions.

Earlier today, the White House announced that the United States will impose an additional 25% tariff on imports from India, bringing total tariffs on this key trade partner to 50%.

In an executive order, President Donald Trump stated: “I find that the government of India is currently, directly or indirectly, importing oil from the Russian Federation.”

Meanwhile, the President of Switzerland said that trade talks with the US Secretary of State were productive, though no agreement was announced.

As of 20:48 GMT, the US Dollar Index had dropped by 0.6% to 98.2, after reaching a high of 98.8 and a low of 98.1.

In commodities trading, spot gold held steady at $3,433.8 per ounce as of 20:49 GMT.