GBP/USD continues to lose ground this week 5/14

GBP/USD continues to lose ground this week. In the North American session, the pair is trading at 1.2917, down 0.32% on the day. On the release front, the U.K. released key employment numbers. Wage growth slowed to 3.2% in March, down from 3.5% a month earlier. This missed the estimate of 3.4% and was the lowest gain since September. The unemployment rate sparkled in March, dropping to 3.8%. This beat the estimate of 3.9%. Unemployment claims fell to 24.7 thousand in April, down from 28.3 thousand in March. Still, this was above the forecast of 24.2 thousand. There are no major U.S. events on the schedule. The U.S. will post retail sales and the Empire State manufacturing index. Scalping Strategy Course (DVD + Online) The pound continues to stumble, as nervous investors are snapping up the safe-haven greenback due to rising trade tensions between the U.S. and China. On Friday, the U.S. raised tariffs on $200 billion in Chinese goods, from 10% to 25%. The move was announced a week ago, triggering sharp declines in the equity markets. The Chinese response was vigorous, with Bejing announcing on Monday that it would slap tariffs on $60 billion of U.S products. Despite the rise in tensions between China and the U.S., the new tariffs do not take effect immediately. The U.S. tariffs do not apply to Chinese goods that are in transit, and the shipping of goods across the Pacific can take up to three weeks. The Chinese tariffs do not kick in until June. This hiatus gives negotiators some breathing room before the tariffs take effect. GBP/USD was mostly flat in the Asian session. The pair posted slight losses in European trade but recovered. The pair has edged lower early in the North American session •1.2910 is a weak support level. It could be tested in the North American session •1.3000 is the next resistance line •Current range: 1.2910 to 1.3000