The EUR/GBP cross-shot to fresh daily tops during the early European session, with bulls making a fresh attempt to build on the momentum beyond the 0.8600 mark. The cross attracted some buying near the 0.8570 region on the first day of a new trading week and for now, seems to have stalled last week's rejection slide from a short-term descending trend-line hurdle. A combination of factors continued acting as a headwind for the British pound and provided a goodish lift to the EUR/GBP cross. Investors remain worried that the UK may delay its plans to end restrictions fully in light of the spread of the so-called Delta variant. In the latest development, the UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson will make a statement this Monday and might push back the timeline to end of restrictions in light of the spread of the so-called Delta variant.
The initial plan was to reopen the economy fully on June 21. The delay dampened prospects for a rapid UK economic recovery from the pandemic. This comes amid the EU-UK collision over Norther Ireland protocol, which was seen as another factor that further contributed to the sterling's underperformance against its European counterpart. The US dollar was seen consolidating Friday's strong move up as investors seemed reluctant to place any aggressive bets ahead of the FOMC meeting on June 15-16. This, in turn, was seen as a key factor that benefitted the euro. The combination of factors allowed the EUR/GBP cross to snap two consecutive days of the losing streak.