FOMC Interest rate decision (Fed) | News & Analysis


Fed's Warsh: There is no soft inflation target

Fed's Warsh: There is no soft inflation target
At the post-meeting press conference, Fed Chair Kevin Warsh explained why policymakers decided to maintain interest rates following the October meeting and took questions from reporters about the decision.

Dollar Index slides as Fed Chair Warsh puts no date on price stability

Three five-minute bars of Fed Chair Warsh's press conference wiped out the Dollar Index's climb into the decision and took it through the session's earlier low. It fell from just above 102.40 to near 102.05, its lowest of the day, and is trading near 102.10.

Fed's recap: A cautious hold with a clear warning on inflation

The Federal Reserve (Fed) held its policy rate steady at 3.75%-4.00%, but it wasn’t a unanimous decision. Among two officials who wanted a 25-basis-point hike were Lisa Cook and Beth Hammack, while Chair Kevin Warsh said the Fed would use the coming flow of information to decide whether further action is needed. The statement presented a resilient economy.

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EUR/USD clings to gains around 1.1200; focus is on US Midterms

EUR/USD clings to gains around 1.1200; focus is on US Midterms

EUR/USD looks to consolidate its daily gains, navigating around the 1.1200 region on Tuesday. The pair’s marginal advance comes on the back of the equally humble gains in the US Dollar, as investors remain cautious ahead of the US Midterm elections, with results expected to start emerging early on Wednesday in Europe.

GBP/USD extends the upside momentum past 1.3400

GBP/USD extends the upside momentum past 1.3400

GBP/USD adds to its ongoing multi-day positive streak, managing to reclaim the area beyond 1.3400 the figure on turnaround Tuesday. Indeed, Cable’s continuation of the uptrend follows the Greenback’s inconclusive price action as the US Midterm elections are under way, while bets for a rate hike by the BoE on Thursday also underpins the upbeat tone.

US Dollar Index edges up within range with midterm elections front and centre

US Dollar Index edges up within range with midterm elections front and centre

The US Dollar Index is picking up from session lows but remains within previous ranges, below 102.00. The Greenback is drawing support from hostilities in Iran and higher Oil prices, but US political uncertainty is capping gains.

AUD/USD weakens to two-week lows near 0.6960

AUD/USD weakens to two-week lows near 0.6960

AUD/USD clinches its second consecutive daily pullback as market participants continue to assess the RBA’s rate hike earlier in the day. Indeed, the pair slipped back toward the 0.6960 zone, or multi-day troughs, following the less-hawkish-than-expected message from the RBA after it hiked the OCR by 25 bps, as widely anticipated.

Crypto Today: Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP under pressure as investors pull capital

Crypto Today: Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP under pressure as investors pull capital

Bitcoin trades downward at $76,566 on Tuesday, testing six-week lows. Ethereum, like Bitcoin, trades under pressure as it consolidates within a narrow support range. Meanwhile, Ripple hovers marginally above $1.25.

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Big Picture

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.

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?

Kevin Warsh

Portrait of Kevin Warsh Kevin Warsh took office as chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve in May 2026, for a four-year term ending in 2030. His term as a member of the Board of Governors will expire in May 2040. Warsh, born in Albany (New York) on April 13, 1970, is an American financier and attorney who already served as a member of the Fed Board of Governors from 2006 to 2011 and was significantly involved in the central bank's response to the financial crisis. Before that, he served as a special assistant to the president for economic policy and the executive secretary of the National Economic Council under President George W. Bush.


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.