FOMC Interest rate decision (FED) | News & Analysis

FOMC Chairman Powell talks on the Fed's response to the coronavirus crisis and the policy outlook moving forward

Dollar steadies after Powell-inspired rally, eyes on high-tier US data

By Eren Sengezer |

FOMC Chairman Powell will testify before the US House Committee on Financial Services starting at 1500 GMT. While testifying before the US Senate Banking Committee on Tuesday, Powell said that it would be appropriate to accelerate the pace of reductions in asset purchases and added that they would be discussing this matter in the upcoming policy meeting. Also noted that it was time to stop using the term "transitory" when describing inflation in the US. Investors are expecting the Fed to remain on the policy-tightening track despite renewed coronavirus fears.

Powell's speech

FED'S LAST EMERGENCY MEASURES REVIEW

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November Fed decision review

Fed Quick Analysis: Three hawkish taper twists set to lift dollar Premium

Yohay Elam
FXStreet

The devil is in the details – while the Fed has been preparing markets for its tapering decision for months, there are still three hawkish twists that could push the dollar higher. First, the process begins already this month, contrary to expectations of kicking it off in December, when markets are quieter. Kicking it off early means being able to end it earlier on and raise interest rates sooner rather than later.

September Fed decision review

July Fed decision review

FOMC: “Progress” made but is it enough to taper?

Wells Fargo Research Team
Wells Fargo

As widely expected, the FOMC did not make any major policy changes at today's meeting. The decisions to keep the target range for the fed funds rate unchanged as well as the pace of asset purchases was unanimously supported by all 11 voting members of the Committee. The FOMC acknowledged that "progress" has been made toward reaching the Committee's goals of maximum employment and price stability.

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EUR/USD recovers toward 1.1350 on modest dollar weakness

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EUR/USD edged higher in the early American session and managed to erase its daily losses. Ahead of Fed Chair Powell's testimony, the pair is closing in on 1.1350. Earlier in the session, the data from the US showed that employment in the private sector rose by 534,000 in April, surpassing the market expectation of 525,000. 

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GBP/USD extends sideways grind around 1.3300 ahead of Powell's testimony

GBP/USD extends sideways grind around 1.3300 ahead of Powell's testimony

GBP/USD continues to move sideways around the 1.3300 handle on Wednesday after the data from the US failed to trigger a significant market reaction. The ADP Employment Change arrived at +534K in November, compared to the market expectation of 525,000. FOMC Chairman Powell will testify at 1500 GMT.

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Cyber Monday 2021 Discounts!

Cyber Monday 2021 Discounts!

Glued to your trading screen on Cyber Monday? Upgrade your skills by signing up for FXStreet’s Premium service, offered at a discount of up to 50%. Fellow traders have already taken advantage of Black Friday profits. What about you? 

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Gold clings to recovery gains near $1,790

Gold clings to recovery gains near $1,790

Gold gained traction after dropping below $1,780 in the early European session and climbed toward $1,790. Ahead of FOMC Chairman, the 10-year US Treasury bond yield is up more than 1% on the day, limiting gold's upside for the time being.

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Altcoins recover as Bitcoin chops

Altcoins recover as Bitcoin chops

BTC price is consolidating while it tries to move higher, but Ethereum price seems to be enjoying a full-fledged rally as it comes closer to setting up new highs. Ripple price, on the other hand, is struggling to find bullish momentum.

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What's important about Federal Reserve’s monetary policy meeting?

With a pre-set regularity, a nation's Central Bank has an economic policy meeting, in which board members took different measures, the most relevant one, being the interest rate that it will charge on loans and advances to commercial banks.

In the US, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve (FED) meets at intervals of five to eight weeks, in which they announce their latest decisions. A rate hike tends to boost the local currency, as it is understood as a sign of a healthy inflation. A rate cut, on the other hand, is seen as a sign of economic and inflationary woes and, therefore, tends to weaken the local currency.

If rates remain unchanged, attention and also main news and analysis turn to the tone of the FOMC (Federal Open Market Committee) statement, and whether the tone is hawkish, or dovish over future developments of inflation.

What is the Fed?

The Federal Reserve System (Fed) is the central banking system of the United States and it has two main targets or reasons to be: one is to keep unemployment rate to their lowest possible levels and the other one, to keep inflation around 2%. The Federal Reserve System's structure is composed of the presidentially appointed Board of Governors, partially presidentially appointed Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC). The FOMC organizes 8 meetings in a year and reviews economic and financial conditions. Also determines the appropriate stance of monetary policy and assesses the risks to its long-run goals of price stability and sustainable economic growth. FOMC Minutes are released by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve and are a clear guide to the future US interest rate policy.

Fed official website, on Twitter and Facebook

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 PowellJerome 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.

FED educational resources