British Pound shows limited reaction to expected increase in UK headline inflation
- The British Pound moves mildly against the Japanese Yen after the UK CPI data for July.
- The UK headline CPI growth remains higher at 2.9% YoY, as expected, while the core CPI remains steady at 2.6% YoY.
- Hawkish BoJ bets help Japanese Yen stage a strong recovery.
The British Pound (GBP) reflects a slight market action against the Japanese Yen (JPY) near its day’s low at around 215.70 after the release of the United Kingdom (UK) Consumer Price Index (CPI) data for July.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has reported that the headline inflation accelerated to 2.9% Year-on-Year (YoY), as expected, from 2.5% in June. The core CPI – which excludes volatile components of food, energy, alcohol and tobacco – grew at a steady pace of 2.6% YoY, while it was expected to slow down to 2.5%.
On a monthly basis, the headline CPI data arrives at 0.35, as expected, higher than the previous reading of 0.1%.
Signs of headline price pressures re-accelerating after slowing down in June indicate that UK inflation concerns remain intact, a scenario that could force traders to reassess Bank of England (BoE) interest rate expectations. Currently, financial markets expect the BoE to hold policy rates at their current levels the entire year.
UK wages seen easing as TD Securities expects BoE to stay on hold
According to TD Securities, the UK labour market is set to "continue along the steady but lacklustre path seen since the start of the year," with June delivering a "100k change in employment on a 3m/3m basis (mkt: 120k; prior: 148k)." On the wage side, the bank expects "a fair drop in the headline average weekly earnings growth measure to 4.0% 3m/y (mkt: 4.0%) from 4.3% in May, as March's outsized bonus figures fall out of scope and reverse the upward pressures seen in the past three months."
TD Securities anticipates that "ex-bonus wage growth should remain at 3.4% 3m/y (mkt: 3.4%) while private earnings ex-bonus growth is set to dip to 2.7% 3m/y (mkt: 2.8%; prior: 2.9%)." The bank notes that "the latter two measures sit within reach of levels consistent with the BoE's inflation target," a development that is "likely reassuring the majority of the MPC that labour market dynamics are limiting second-round inflation pressures and supporting a majority vote to keep Bank Rate on hold."
Meanwhile, the Japanese Yen (JPY) outperforms its major currency peers on Wednesday after two weeks of underperformance, as financial markets are confident that the Bank of Japan (BoJ) will raise interest rates by 25 basis points (bps) to 1.25% in the September policy meeting.
Japanese Yen Price Today
The table below shows the percentage change of Japanese Yen (JPY) against listed major currencies today. Japanese Yen was the strongest against the Australian Dollar.
| USD | EUR | GBP | JPY | CAD | AUD | NZD | CHF | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USD | -0.13% | -0.08% | -0.24% | -0.15% | 0.28% | 0.08% | -0.16% | |
| EUR | 0.13% | 0.04% | -0.13% | -0.00% | 0.40% | 0.19% | -0.03% | |
| GBP | 0.08% | -0.04% | -0.15% | -0.04% | 0.38% | 0.16% | -0.09% | |
| JPY | 0.24% | 0.13% | 0.15% | 0.10% | 0.51% | 0.31% | 0.06% | |
| CAD | 0.15% | 0.00% | 0.04% | -0.10% | 0.41% | 0.20% | -0.04% | |
| AUD | -0.28% | -0.40% | -0.38% | -0.51% | -0.41% | -0.20% | -0.43% | |
| NZD | -0.08% | -0.19% | -0.16% | -0.31% | -0.20% | 0.20% | -0.23% | |
| CHF | 0.16% | 0.03% | 0.09% | -0.06% | 0.04% | 0.43% | 0.23% |
The heat map shows percentage changes of major currencies against each other. The base currency is picked from the left column, while the quote currency is picked from the top row. For example, if you pick the Japanese Yen from the left column and move along the horizontal line to the US Dollar, the percentage change displayed in the box will represent JPY (base)/USD (quote).
Going forward, investors will focus on Japan’s National CPI and UK’s Retail Sales data for July, which are scheduled for Friday.
Inflation FAQs
Inflation measures the rise in the price of a representative basket of goods and services. Headline inflation is usually expressed as a percentage change on a month-on-month (MoM) and year-on-year (YoY) basis. Core inflation excludes more volatile elements such as food and fuel which can fluctuate because of geopolitical and seasonal factors. Core inflation is the figure economists focus on and is the level targeted by central banks, which are mandated to keep inflation at a manageable level, usually around 2%.
The Consumer Price Index (CPI) measures the change in prices of a basket of goods and services over a period of time. It is usually expressed as a percentage change on a month-on-month (MoM) and year-on-year (YoY) basis. Core CPI is the figure targeted by central banks as it excludes volatile food and fuel inputs. When Core CPI rises above 2% it usually results in higher interest rates and vice versa when it falls below 2%. Since higher interest rates are positive for a currency, higher inflation usually results in a stronger currency. The opposite is true when inflation falls.
Although it may seem counter-intuitive, high inflation in a country pushes up the value of its currency and vice versa for lower inflation. This is because the central bank will normally raise interest rates to combat the higher inflation, which attract more global capital inflows from investors looking for a lucrative place to park their money.
Formerly, Gold was the asset investors turned to in times of high inflation because it preserved its value, and whilst investors will often still buy Gold for its safe-haven properties in times of extreme market turmoil, this is not the case most of the time. This is because when inflation is high, central banks will put up interest rates to combat it. Higher interest rates are negative for Gold because they increase the opportunity-cost of holding Gold vis-a-vis an interest-bearing asset or placing the money in a cash deposit account. On the flipside, lower inflation tends to be positive for Gold as it brings interest rates down, making the bright metal a more viable investment alternative.