Shafaqna English– The pound experienced a modest decline on Tuesday(18 Aug 2026), following the release of economic data that suggested a softening labour market in the UK. The country’s unemployment rate for June came in higher than analysts had forecast, while the number of job vacancies continued to decrease in July—both signs that the labour market is losing momentum.
Sterling was last trading 0.1% lower against the U.S. dollar at $1.352, pulling back from Monday’s(17 Aug 2026) session when it had climbed to its strongest level since May. That earlier rally had been fuelled by traders scaling back their expectations for near-term rate increases from the Federal Reserve, but the upbeat sentiment faded after the UK jobs data dampened the pound’s appeal.
Source: Reuters