UK unemployment eased to 4.7% in June to August, down 0.1 percentage point from the previous quarter, and sterling rose 0.3% to $1.3347, according to Reuters. The employment rate for people aged 16 to 64 rose 0.2 point to 75.3%, but payrolled employees fell 66,000 from a year earlier, and the ONS cautioned against firm conclusions from short-term household survey changes. Vacancies fell by 21,000 to 691,000 in July to September, and smaller firms suggested higher labor costs may be restraining recruitment. Regular pay growth was 3.7% on average, at 3.0% in the private sector and 6.3% in the public sector. Futures priced in a near-certain 0.25-percentage-point Bank of England rate increase on November 5, though Lloyds economist Nikesh Sawjani said the data alone did not make a compelling case for a more aggressive path afterward.
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GBP/USD
▲ Likely positiveRelevance: medium
| Market | Currencies |
|---|---|
| Close on 10/19/2026 | 1.33040 |
| Change that session | -0.20% |
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