// COMPARE

WTI slipped to $88.48 (-0.23%), giving back overnight gains as Hormuz ceasefire optimism overcame US-strike concerns. Tight range as traders waited for the next Iran headline.

Oil is trading the binary — every Iran news cycle whipsaws the tape. The underlying physical market remains tight (OPEC+ disciplined), but headline risk dominates positioning until resolution.

Any Hormuz deal confirmation pushes to $85; failure or fresh escalation reopens $95. Weekly EIA inventories Wednesday remain in the background. $90 is the headline-driven pivot.

Cable closed at 1.3445 (+0.21%), a modest grind higher tracking broad dollar softness. Deutsche Bank's EUR/GBP rally call dampened sterling enthusiasm; GBP underperformed EUR on the session.

Sterling lacks a domestic catalyst this week, so it's purely a dollar funding play. BoE pricing already discounts cuts; without an inflation shock, GBP is range-bound between dollar sentiment and EUR cross-flow.

UK retail sales data and any BoE speaker hints on August cut timing. Resistance at 1.3480; support 1.3400. EUR/GBP move above 0.8680 would cap GBP/USD regardless of dollar direction.