The Pound Sterling (GBP) ticks higher to near 1.2415 against the US Dollar (USD) in Monday's European session. The GBP/USD pair is marginally higher even though the US Dollar Index (DXY), which tracks the Greenback's value against six major currencies, is up almost 0.2%, which indicates significant strength in the Pound Sterling.
The DXY Index gains as investors turn cautious about renewed global trade war tensions. US President Donald Trump threatened to raise 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum imports and impose reciprocal tariffs on nations he saw as engaging in unfair trade practices.
Market experts believe that the impact of a global trade war will be inflationary for the US economy. Such a scenario would be favorable for the US Dollar, as Federal Reserve (Fed) policymakers would be forced to hold interest rates at their current levels for longer.
According to the CME FedWatch tool, the Fed is expected to keep interest rates steady in the policy meetings in March and May, and the likelihood of a 25 basis point (bps) interest rate reduction in the June meeting is 50%.
Source: FXStreet
