The British currency was under strong pressure yesterday, following the controversial fundamental background. The unexpected cohesion of the British deputies against Theresa May has caused alarm to traders, after all, after only 6 days, parliamentarians must decide the fate of the Brexit deal. On the horizon, the prospects for Britain's chaotic exit from the EU again loomed, after which the pound fell to 18-month lows.
But the fundamental picture of the GBP/USD pair is very changeable: today the sterling is showing a very aggressive growth, restoring lost positions. A rich news flow keeps traders in good shape, and the closer December 11, the more acute the market reaction to any rumors related to the prospect of Brexit.
However, today the growth of the pound is not due to rumors. The fact is that the leader of the Conservatives in the House of Commons, Andrea Leadsom, said in an interview that the only alternative to the deal is "hard" Brexit, that is, the chaotic exit of the country from the EU. According to her, this scenario is basic and there are no other scenarios. On the one hand, this statement should again alert traders – because just yesterday 311 members of Parliament voted to investigate the issue of disrespect of the Cabinet of Ministers to the legislature. That is, the deputies have unambiguously showed that Theresa May has no unequivocal support of the parliamentary majority and all decisions are made situationally.
On the other hand, Leadsom's statement supported the British currency: the fact that the position of the parliamentary leader puts the deputies before a simple but difficult choice: either they vote for a "bad deal", or they support a "hard" Brexit. No "plan Bs", re-referendum or other half-hearted scenarios. Only forward or backward, only "black or white", without any shades. It should be noted that Theresa May is now playing this card: in almost every speech she paints a catastrophic chaotic Brexit, warning deputies that they take responsibility for the implementation of such a scenario. That is why Labour has been actively promoting the idea of a second referendum or an alternative agreement with Brussels – to convince Parliament that their choice is not limited to "hard" or "soft" Brexit.
In other words, Theresa May's opponents are trying to minimize the deputies' concerns about the consequences of a failed vote for the Brexit project. The task of Theresa May's supporters is the opposite - to convince them that if they do not support the proposed agreement, they will plunge the country into a state of economic and political chaos.
That is why today's statement by Andrea Leadsom is so important – in fact, she sided with Theresa May – at least voiced the message, which is politically beneficial to the prime minister. And here it is worth noting that Leadsom has a strong enough influence among conservatives. She was one of the contenders for the premiere position after David Cameron left the post. Moreover, in 2016, she even went to the last round of elections of the leader of the Conservative Party, but lost to the current prime minister – 199 deputies of the Conservative Party voted for May's candidacy, 84 for Leadsom. Later, she withdrew her candidacy, thereby opening the way for Theresa May to the prime minister's office.
In other words, the supporters of the "soft" Brexit received a rather important ally, although the support is very indirect. But the bulls of the GBP/USD, apparently, use any reason of a positive nature to return the price in the direction of corrective growth. Despite the strong volatility and the likely temptation of traders to "catch the price wave", trading the pound is still extremely risky. The market reacts too violently even to minor signals regarding the prospects of Brexit, so such price movements are unreliable. In a few hours, the fundamental picture may change dramatically - if rumors return to the market that the prime minister does not have sufficient support among the deputies.
Unfortunately, now we can only analyze the causes of this or that surge in volatility after the fact, while it is almost impossible to predict price fluctuations for the GBP/USD pair (as well as for other cross-pairs involving the pound).
From a technical point of view, only support levels are relevant. In this case, the strongest support level is 1.2640 - the bottom line of the Bollinger Bands on the daily chart. Slightly higher is the price low of the year - 1.2660, which also acts as support - for example, yesterday, with a pulsed southern movement, the pair did not refresh this low, stopping at 1.2670. But here it is worth warning that with strong volatility, the above levels of support will not be able to resist the onslaught of bears, especially in anticipation of a key vote in the British parliament.
