EUR/GBP remains weak below 0.8250 ahead of ECB rate decision

• EUR/GBP trades softer to around 0.8245 in Wednesday’s early European session. 
• Hopes of further ECB monetary easing on Thursday weigh on the Euro. 
• The BoE is expected to keep the rate on hold next week as policymakers signaled they will cut only gradually. 

The EUR/GBP cross remains on the defensive near 0.8245 during the early European trading hours on Wednesday. The growing speculation that the European Central Bank (ECB) will cut another interest rate at the December meeting continues to undermine the Euro (EUR) against the Pound Sterling (GBP). 

Investors might prefer to wait on the sidelines ahead of the ECB interest rate decision on Thursday. The ECB is anticipated to cut the Deposit Facility Rate to 3.0% from 3.25%. It would be the ECB’s third straight reduction amid a bleak eurozone outlook. “While there is a strong case for the ECB to accelerate the pace of policy easing by delivering a (half point) cut, a majority of the governing council seems to prefer a quarter-point reduction,” noted Capital Economics analysts. 

On the other hand, the Bank of England (BoE) policymakers hinted that they would cut the interest rate gradually. “Signalling from the BoE about gradual rate reductions has been very strong of late, suggesting very low odds of a cut next week,” said JP Morgan economist Allan Monks. 

Traders are currently betting on the BoE cutting interest rates only three times between now and the end of 2025, lowering the Bank Rate by a total of 75 bps. The expectation that the UK central bank will likely move more slowly to reduce borrowing costs than the ECB provides some support to the GBP and creates a headwind for the EUR/GBP cross.