FOMC Interest rate decision (Fed) | News & Analysis
Federal Reserve: Higher-for-longer stance maintained – Nordea
Nordea’s Sara Midtgaard reports that the Federal Reserve left its policy rate unchanged and signalled only gradual easing, with one 25 bp cut projected in both 2026 and 2027.
Fed’s Waller: Do not think there is a need to consider rate hikes
Christopher Waller, a member of the Federal Reserve (Fed), said that based on the jobs report alone, he was planning to dissent in the monetary policy decision, but inflation has become more of a concern.
Fed's Powell: Upward revision in growth projections is productivity
At the post-meeting press conference, Fed Chair Jerome Powell explained why policymakers decided to keep interest rates unchanged following the March meeting and took questions from reporters on the decision.
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EUR/USD: War continues to steal the limelight, and not for good Premium
The EUR/USD pair bounced back in the last few days, settling for the week around 1.1530. The Iran war and central banks’ monetary policy announcements took centre stage, yet none was enough to impress speculative interest.
Gold: Major central banks’ hawkish tone weighs heavily Premium
Gold (XAU/USD) extended its slide into a third consecutive week and lost more than 6%, its worst weekly performance since March 2020, as major central banks adopted a hawkish tone because of the upside risks to inflation posed by rising energy prices.
US Dollar: The Dollar stumbles, but the macro story hasn’t changed Premium
The US Dollar just reminded markets that trends are rarely linear.
GBP/USD: Pound Sterling tests 200-day SMA on the road to recovery Premium
The Pound Sterling (GBP) staged a late rebound from near three-month lows against the US Dollar (USD), testing the critical 1.3440 supply zone.
Bitcoin: The Fed kills the vibe
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What's important about the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy meeting?
With a pre-set regularity, a nation's central bank holds a monetary policy meeting where board members take different measures, the most relevant one setting the range of the federal funds rate, which greatly influences the interest rate charge on loans and advances to commercial banks.
In the US, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) of the Federal Reserve (Fed) meets at intervals of five to eight weeks to announce their latest decisions. An interest-rate hike increases borrowing costs throughout the economy. This results in a stronger US Dollar (USD) as it makes the US a more attractive place for international investors. A rate cut, on the other hand, tends to weaken the USD.
If rates remain unchanged, the attention, main news and analysis turn to the tone of the monetary policy statement and the press conference from the Fed’s Chair. Markets analyze whether the tone is hawkish or dovish over future developments of inflation.
What is the Fed?
The Federal Reserve (Fed) is the central bank of the United States (US) and it has two main targets: to maintain the unemployment rate at its lowest possible levels and to keep inflation around 2%. The Federal Reserve System's structure is composed of the presidentially appointed Board of Governors and the partially appointed Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC). The FOMC organizes eight scheduled meetings in a year to review economic and financial conditions. It also determines the appropriate stance of monetary policy and assesses the risks to its long-run goals of price stability and sustainable economic growth. The FOMC Minutes, which are released by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve weeks after the latest meeting, are a guide to the future US interest-rate policy.
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How to trade the event?
- Do not rely on the Fed to determine the direction of the dollar in the coming months.
- The dollar tends to follow its predominant trend when the Fed starts to hike rates.
- There is no direct link between the Fed hiking rates and the usd falling. When a weak usd has coincided with a Fed hiking cycle, it has been falling for some time.
- Due to this, we may see a muted reaction to a potential Fed rate hike.
WHO IS FOMC'S CHAIRMAN?
Jerome Powell
Jerome Powell took office as chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System in February 2018, for a four-year term ending in February 2022. His term as a member of the Board of Governors will expire January 31, 2028. Born in Washington D.C., he received a bachelor’s degree in politics from Princeton University in 1975 and earned a law degree from Georgetown University in 1979. Powell served as an assistant secretary and as undersecretary of the Treasury under President George H.W. Bush. He also worked as a lawyer and investment banker in New York City. From 1997 through 2005, Powell was a partner at The Carlyle Group.
Jerome Powell Fed's Profile and Wikipedia
The World Interest Rates Table
The World Interest Rates Table reflects the current interest rates of the main countries around the world, set by their respective Central Banks. Rates typically reflect the health of individual economies, as in a perfect scenario, Central Banks tend to rise rates when the economy is growing and therefore instigate inflation.