UK jobs data: unemployment unexpectedly unchanged at 4.9% (vs 4.8% expected); employment fell in the three months to June; three-month average pay excluding bonuses rose 3.5% (vs 3.4% expected). Aberdeen Group strategist Felix Feather said the labour market has been easing for some time, supporting the case for the Bank of England to keep policy rates unchanged for the remainder of the year. After the release, GBP/USD dipped 0.1% to 1.3519 and EUR/GBP rose 0.1% to 0.8554.

2026-08-18

UK jobs data: unemployment unexpectedly unchanged at 4.9% (vs 4.8% expected); employment fell in the three months to June; three-month average pay excluding bonuses rose 3.5% (vs 3.4% expected). Aberdeen Group strategist Felix Feather said the labour market has been easing for some time, supporting the case for the Bank of England to keep policy rates unchanged for the remainder of the year. After the release, GBP/USD dipped 0.1% to 1.3519 and EUR/GBP rose 0.1% to 0.8554.