British GDP slows to 0%, pound edges lower

[Ben Graham]

The British pound is slightly lower on Friday. In the North American session, GBP/USD is trading at 1.3541, down 0.22% on the day.

GBP economy stalls in July

UK GDP slowed in July, posting zero growth month-to month. This was down from the 0.4% gain in June and matched the market estimate. Services and construction were higher but were offset by a decrease in manufacturing. In the three months to July, GDP eased to 0.2%, down from 0.3% and below the market estimate of 0.2%.

The UK economy has been losing steam - after a strong gain of 0.7% in the first quarter, GDP eased to 0.3% in Q2 and all signs point to negative growth in the second half of 2025.

The weakening economy supports the case for the Bank of England to lower rates, but rising inflation is making it harder for the BoE to ease policy. In July, consumer inflation rose to 3.8%, higher than expected. The BoE has projected that inflation will rise to a peak of 4% in September, double the BoE's target of 2%.

The BoE meets on September 18 and is expected to hold rates, after cutting rates in August to 4.0%. At that meeting, the nine-member monetary policy committee voted 5-4 to lower rates. Governor Bailey has said that the BoE will take a "gradual and careful" approach to rate cuts. The November 6 meeting will be very significant, coming just ahead of the government's budget.

There was a lot of attention paid to Thursday's US CPI report, as inflation rose to 2.9% y/y, up from 2.7% and in line with expectations. Overshadowed by the CPI release was unemployment claims which jumped to 267 thousand in the first week of September, up sharply from 236 thousand in the prior release and well above the market estimate of 235 thousand. This was the highest number of claims since October 2021 and is another sign of a deteriorating labour market.

GBP/USD Technical

• GBPUSD has pushed below support at 1.3563 and is testing support at 1.3543. Below, there is support at 1.3524
• There is resistance at 1.3582 and 1.3602

GBPUSD 4-Hour Chart, September 12, 2025

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