Summary
The upcoming Federal Reserve meeting on March 17-18 is easily the most crucial since the financial crisis. The currents roiling the global economy pit the U.S. recovery against the rest of the world. Can the U.S. sustain its momentum as the rest of the world slides to stagnation or recession? How much importance does the FOMC place on ‘rate normalization’ when inflation is non-threatening and upward wage pressure is always about to materialize but never arrives. Markets expect that the FOMC statement will drop the ‘patient’ characterization of Fed policy, opening the way to for the first Fed Funds rate hike in eight years but essaying no timetable. How will the governors strike the balance between the desire for ‘rate normalization’ the fear of deflating equities, potential damage to the U.S. expansion, and the incoming threats from the world economy? Join us for a thorough examination of Fed policy and options and prepare for a lively exchange of views.Latest Live Videos
Editors’ Picks
Gold plunges on sudden US Dollar demand
Gold drops markedly on Thursday, challenging the $4,900 mark per troy ounce following a firm bounce in the US Dollar and amid a steep sell-off on Wall Street, with losses led by the tech and housing sectors.
EUR/USD turns negative near 1.1850
EUR/USD has given up its earlier intraday gains on Thursday and is now struggling to hold above the 1.1850 area. The US Dollar is finding renewed support from a pick-up in risk aversion, while fresh market chatter suggesting Russia could be considering a return to the US Dollar system is also lending the Greenback an extra boost.
GBP/USD change course, nears 1.3600
GBP/USD gives away its daily gains and recedes toward the low-1.3600s on Thursday. Indeed, Cable now struggles to regain some upside traction on the back of the sudden bout of buying interest in the Greenback. In the meantime, investors continue to assess a string of underwhelming UK data releases released earlier in the day.
LayerZero Price Forecast: ZRO steadies as markets digest Zero blockchain announcement
LayerZero (ZRO) trades above $2.00 at press time on Thursday, holding steady after a 17% rebound the previous day, which aligned with the public announcement of the Zero blockchain and Cathie Wood joining the advisory board.
A tale of two labour markets: Headline strength masks underlying weakness
Undoubtedly, yesterday’s delayed US January jobs report delivered a strong headline – one that surpassed most estimates. However, optimism quickly faded amid sobering benchmark revisions.
Here is what you need to know on Thursday, February 12:
The US Dollar stays resilient against its rivals in the second half of the week, supported by the upbeat labor market data for January. The US economic calendar will feature weekly Initial Jobless Claims and January Existing Home Sales data on Thursday.