British pound news this week: what moves the pound
British pound news for 9 to 13 November 2026: the Bank of England's Bank Rate is 4.00%, its next decision is on Thursday 17 December and this week's calendar has one high-impact event for the GBP.
The British pound is set against the rest by one bank, the Bank of England (BoE), and by the things that bank has to react to. Here is the rate it has set, what it is aiming at, the releases that move this currency and what is on the calendar this week.
By Mike, founder of MacroSetup. Page updated . Rate and calendar as the research last recorded them, 8 November 2026, 22:36 Amsterdam time.
British pound news this week in short
- Central bank
- Bank of England (BoE)
- Policy rate
- 4.00%
- What the bank targets
- Inflation at 2%, the target set by the government
The three things that move it
- 1UK inflation, especially the services part, which is the number the Bank of England keeps pointing at.
- 2The labour market, wages first.
- 3Fiscal events. A budget can move the pound as much as a rate decision.
Moves on UK inflation and labour data, and on how far the Bank is willing to go.
On the calendar this week
- Thu 08:00UK GDP
Times in Amsterdam. The whole week for all eight is on the calendar page.
Every release that moves the British pound
What each one is, when it comes out, which line the market reads first, and what the GBP did on the last release days.
- BoE rate decisionHigh impactWhen the Bank of England decides, why the vote and the minutes land in the same minute, and why the pound often moves on the vote split rather than on the rate.
- UK CPIHigh impactWhat UK CPI measures, when the ONS publishes it, why services inflation is read before the headline, and what a surprise does to the pound at 7:00 UK time.
- UK GDPHigh impactUK GDP growth quarter by quarter from the ONS, first and latest estimates, every release date, and why the three-month figure says more than a single month.
- UK labour market reportHigh impactWhat the ONS labour market report holds, why the Bank of England reads private sector pay before the jobless rate, and what a pay surprise does to the pound.
- UK retail salesWhat UK retail sales cover and leave out, when the ONS publishes them, why the figure without fuel matters, and why one month can look different after revision.
- UK PMIWhat the S&P Global UK PMI asks firms, why the flash figure late in the month moves the pound more than the final, and what a figure near 50 tells you.
Sources
The rate, the target and the meeting dates come from the Bank of England (BoE) itself: Bank of England; Bank of England, upcoming MPC dates; Bank of England, MPC dates for 2027. The rate is the one the research last recorded from the bank.
The releases above are published by Office for National Statistics and S&P Global. Each release page names its own sources.
The other seven
A currency is only strong or weak against another one, so the page next door matters as much as this one.
- USD US dollar
- EUR Euro
- JPY Japanese yen
- CHF Swiss franc
- AUD Australian dollar
- NZD New Zealand dollar
- CAD Canadian dollar
What the rate gap between two of them pays is on the rate differentials page, and how a pair is scored from two currencies is on the fundamental bias page.
Questions about the British pound
What moves the British pound?
What the Bank of England (BoE) does and is expected to do, the releases that bank steers by, the mood of the wider market, and anything political big enough to be priced. A currency only moves against another one, so the same questions apply to the other side of the pair.
Which central bank sets the GBP rate, and what is it aiming at?
The Bank of England (BoE). It aims at inflation of 2%, a target the government sets. A release matters most when it speaks to that goal.
Where can I see the current GBP policy rate?
4.00%, as the research last recorded it. You will find it in the "In short" table of this page, next to the date of the next scheduled meeting, and beside the other seven rates on our rate differentials page. Both follow the research, so a decision shows up on the day it is made. All eight rates
Do you publish a GBP forecast?
No. We publish a reading of now: how the currency scores against the other seven today and why, rewritten when the news changes. Nobody here will tell you where a currency will be next month. How past calls turned out