FOMC Interest rate decision (Fed) | News & Analysis


Fed’s Miran: Warsh is a fantastic pick

Fed’s Miran: Warsh is a fantastic pick

Federal Reserve (Fed) Governor Stephen Miran said that he is really excited to see the good work he believes Kevin Warsh will do as Fed Chair after being nominated by President Donald Trump. In an interview with CNBC on Friday, he added he believes Fed officials will receive him well.

Fed’s Bostic: Fed needs to remain vigilant

Federal Reserve (Fed) Bank of Atlanta President Raphael Bostic said that inflation is too high and needs to come down, and that the Fed should be more patient for now, in an interview for CNBC.

Fed’s Waller: Labor market remains weak

Fed Board of Governors member Christopher Waller said he dissented in favor of a 25 bps interest rate cut this week because monetary policy is still restricting economic activity too much, in a statement released on Friday.

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Editors' Picks

AUD/USD bulls have the upper hand amid divergent RBA-Fed outlooks

AUD/USD bulls have the upper hand amid divergent RBA-Fed outlooks

The AUD/USD consolidates the previous day's hawkish RBA-inspired gains above the 0.7000 mark, as a slight deterioration in risk sentiment benefits the safe-haven US Dollar and acts as a headwind for the Aussie. However, the diverging Fed-RBA rate paths favor bulls, suggesting that any corrective slide is more likely to get bought into and remain limited.

EUR/USD clings to daily gains above 1.1800

EUR/USD clings to daily gains above 1.1800

EUR/USD keeps the fresh bid bias around the 1.1800 region as the NA session draws to a close on Tuesday. The pair’s decent bounce comes on the back of fresh downside pressure on the US Dollar as investors continue to fade the so-called “Warsh trade”. Next of note on the euro docket will be the preliminary inflation data in the euro zone on Wednesday.

Gold and silver recovery continues, but equities sink as tech is shunned

Gold and silver recovery continues, but equities sink as tech is shunned

The risk recovery is on pause as we move through Tuesday. After signs that a recovery in precious metals could boost overall risk appetite earlier today, a nasty sell off in tech stocks has pushed the Nasdaq and the S&P 500 down by 1.7% and 1.1% respectively.

Gold recovers above $4,950 as US-Iran tensions boost safe-haven demand

Gold recovers above $4,950 as US-Iran tensions boost safe-haven demand

Gold price trades in positive territory near $4,985 during the early Asian session on Wednesday. The precious metal extends the rebound after a historic and volatile sell-off last week. Traders weigh the next round of US economic signals and the broader demand for safe-haven assets.

Crypto winter began in January 2025, but end is near: Bitwise

Crypto winter began in January 2025, but end is near: Bitwise

The crypto market has been in a "full-blown" winter season since January 2025, following a 39% and 53% drop in Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) prices from their all-time highs over the past few months, according to Bitwise Chief Investment Officer Matt Hougan.

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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.

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 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.


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.