UK average weekly earnings excluding bonuses rose 3.7% in the three months to August from a year earlier, extending a gradual pickup from a 3.4% low earlier this year and beating the 3.6% Reuters poll forecast. Preliminary payrolled employees rose by 13,000 in September, and the unemployment rate fell to 4.7% in the three months to August, its lowest since mid-2025. However, job vacancies fell to 691,000 in the three months to September from 704,000, dropping below 700,000 for the first time since the three months to April 2021. Investors expect the Bank of England to raise its benchmark rate to 4% next month, as it watches whether the Iran war energy price shock feeds into broader inflation through wage demands.
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Related tickers and likely impact
GBP/USD
▲ Likely positiveRelevance: low
| Market | Currencies |
|---|---|
| Close on 10/19/2026 | 1.33040 |
| Change that session | -0.20% |
Impact is scored by AI from the headline and may be wrong. It is not investment advice.
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