Baker Hughes BKR, +2.84% on Friday reported that the number of active U.S. rigs drilling for oil was up by 6 to 605 this week. The total active U.S. rig count, which includes those drilling for natural gas, also climbed by 9 to 767, according to Baker Hughes. Oil prices continued to trade higher. September West Texas Intermediate crude CLU22, +1.93% was up $2.84, or 3%, at $99.26 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
The GBPUSD pair retreated to 1.3461 midweek. Market focus is on Fed independence concerns and the Bank of England’s strategy. Discover more in our analysis