US economic growth is expected to have slowed from 1.9% to 1.6%, but the first estimate of GDP for the fourth quarter showed a slowdown to 1.0%. This is perfectly in line with speculation that the US economy is at risk of sliding into recession. And with it the global economy. In theory, this would lead to the inevitable depreciation of the dollar. However, this has not happened. If you look at the pound, it has actually remained in place. The dollar edged up when the report was published, but then it quickly returned to the positions at which it was just before the US GDP report was released. The reason for such a strange reaction to obviously weak data lies in the preliminary estimates themselves. Yes, in annual terms, the growth rate slowed down significantly. However, if we look at the quarterly data, the economy grew by 2.9% in the fourth quarter, while the growth forecast was 2.7%. And if you also look at the durable goods orders, which suddenly rose as much as 5.6%, well above the 2.2% forecast, then you would see that the market's reaction is quite understandable. Yes, the economy has slowed down a lot, but there are signs that a recession can be avoided. The durable goods report hints at the possibility of an economic recovery as early as the first quarter.
GDP change (United States):
Despite the obvious interest in long positions, GBPUSD failed to update the local high of the upward cycle. As a result, 1.2440 has become a kind of resistance level against which stagnation/rebound occurs.
On the four-hour chart, the RSI technical indicator is moving in the upper area of 50/70, which points to the bullish sentiment. There is a similar technical signal on the daily chart.
On the four-hour chart, the Alligator's MAs have numerous intersections, which corresponds to the flat movement. The MAs are headed upwards.
Outlook
Based on the fact that the price has been fluctuating this week, the pair has been trading within the sideways channel of 1.2300/1.2440. At the peak of the upward cycle, this movement points to an accumulation process. As a result, an outgoing momentum should emerge that may indicate the price's succeeding direction.
In terms of the complex indicator analysis, we see that in the short-term and intraday periods, the indicator is providing a mixed signal because of stagnation. In the mid-term period, the indicators are moving in the direction of the upward cycle from the previous fall.