Sterling declined in European trade on Tuesday against a basket of major rivals, while giving up the three-year high against the US dollar on profit-taking.

The pound marked strong gains on Monday after reports that the UK and the EU will soon sign a commitment to open and free trade, in a defiant step against US tariffs.

The Price

The GBP/USD price fell 0.35% today to $1.3394, with a session-high at $1.3444.

The pound rose 1% on Monday against the dollar, the second profit in three days, hitting a three-year peak at $1.3445.

Free and Open Trade

A Politico report indicated the UK and the EU will sign a declaration of commitment to free and open trade between both sides.

It’s viewed as a direct challenge to the latest aggressive US tariff policies on the EU and other trade partners. 

The draft, which Politico previewed, would include promises to establish a new strategic partnership between London and Brussels, with an aim at keeping the stability of the global economic system.

UK Rates

As concerns of economic recession rise once more, pressures are renewed on most global central banks to cut interest rates and ease monetary policies.

The odds of a Bank of England 0.25% interest rate cut in May stand at 55% currently. 

Now traders await a slew of new UK data on inflation, unemployment, and wages to gather more clues about the pace of rate cuts this year.

The Japanese yen fell in Asian trade on Tuesday against a basket of major rivals, resuming losses against the dollar after a short hiatus yesterday and moving once again towards two-week lows amid ongoing Japan-US trade negotiations. 

The Bank of Japan will convene tomorrow to discuss the monetary policies, widely expected to hold interest rates unchanged while providing some clues on the future of policy normalization this year.

The Price

The USD/JPY rose 0.4% today to 142.49, with a session-low at 141.95.

The yen rose 1.2% on Monday against the dollar, recovering from a two-week trough at 144.03.

The yen also rebounded on haven demand amid uncertainty about the US-China trade negotiations. 

Trade Talks 

Asian countries such as Japan and South Korea are expected to seek temporary trade deals to avoid the return of strict US reciprocal tariffs in early July.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the Trump administration is working on making trade deals with 17 trade partners, excepting China.

He reasserted the administration’s position that economic pressure will force China to the negotiation table, as they couldn’t handle 145% US tariffs.

US President Donald Trump said his team is very close to making a trade deal with Japan, however, Japan’s officials  dismissed reports about talks to fix or change the forex rate between the yen and the dollar.

BOJ

The Bank of Japan is convening this week to discuss the monetary policies, expected to hold interest rates flat at 0.5%, the highest since  2008.

The BOJ will discuss the impact of the US trade war on the exports-reliant Japanese economy, which could determine the pace of rate hikes in the near future.

Both the Dow Jones and S&P 500 managed to close higher on Monday for the fifth straight session, marking the longest winning streak in 2025, while NASDAQ closed higher as markets analyze latest corporate earnings results. 

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called on China to calm trade tensions, and said the responsibility falls on China for reaching a trade deal.

Bessent said in a CNBC interview that China should move to calm the trade tensions as they sell to the US five times what the US sells to them.

He once again said the reciprocal tariffs between Washington and Beijing are not sustainable, pointing to the progress on trade negotiations between the Trump administration and many other countries, including India.

This week, many major tech corporations, such as Apple, Meta, Microsoft, and Amazon, will release the quarterly results, while investors also await the pivotal US payrolls report on Friday.

At the close, Dow Jones rose 0.3%, or 114 points to 40,227 points, with a session-high at 40,414 points, and a low at 39,869 points. 

S&P 500 rose 0.1%, or 3 points to 5528 points, with a session-high at 5553 points.

NASDAQ slipped 0.1%, or 17 points to 17,366 points, with a session-low at 17,128 points.

Oil prices fell on Monday amid concerns about the impact of the global trade war on oil demand, and especially in China and the US.

PVM analysts told Reuters that the trade war between the US and China still dominates investor sentiment and is still the biggest mover for oil prices.

He added that other factors, such as US-Iran nuclear talks and OPEC+ production plans are also impacting prices, but by a smaller degree than trade concerns.

Otherwise, Reuters reported that oil tankers are lining up near an old port in western Venezuela to load shipments before the expiry of the US shipping license to local and international companies by the end of May.

On trading, Brent July futures fell 1.5%, or $1.01 to $65.86 a barrel.

US crude futures due in June fell 1.54%, or 97 cents to $62.05 a barrel.