British Pound gathers strength to near 1.3300 on Burnham’s commitment to fiscal rules, NFP data loom

The GBP/USD pair gains traction to near 1.3290 during the Asian trading hours on Thursday. The British Pound (GBP) strengthens against the US Dollar (USD) as the UK's likely next Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, has eased market concerns by pledging strict fiscal discipline. The US Nonfarm Payrolls (NFP) data for June will take center stage later on Thursday.

Burnham vowed on Monday to deliver radical change to the nation's politics by handing more power to its regions and by encouraging collaboration over argument in a 10-year mission to spur "good" growth. Traders continue to assess the political transition in the UK following Burnham's emergence as the next leader.

Natixis analysts believe that maintaining investor confidence in the UK's public finances will be critical. While Burnham's commitment to fiscal discipline offers near-term support, markets will closely monitor future budgets for any signs that fiscal rules are being relaxed to finance higher public spending.

All eyes will be on the US jobs data later in the day as it could offer some hints about the US interest rate path. The US Nonfarm Payrolls (NFP) is expected to show 110,000 job additions in June, while the Unemployment Rate is projected to hold steady at 4.3% during the same period. Any signs of a resilient US labor market could lift the Greenback and act as a headwind for the major pair.