A 50bps March Fed rate hike is warranted – Bloomberg Economics

Dhwani Mehta FXStreet

A 50-basis point (bps) interest rate hike is warranted at the Fed’s March meeting, Anna Wong, Chief US Economist for Bloomberg Economics said on Wednesday.

“Our in-house model of a Fed reaction function -- the Bloomberg Economics rule ("BE rule") -- suggests that a 50 basis-point rate hike at the March meeting is warranted, followed by another five 25 basis-point rate hikes the rest of the year,” she explained.

Amid increased speculation the Fed will deliver more than a 25-bps rate hike in March, the US Treasury yields skyrocketed on Tuesday amid a meltdown in the government bond yields.

The benchmark 10-year yields rose to the highest level since January 2020 at 1.89% in early Asian dealings, currently trading at 1.882%, still up 0.77% on the day.

US dollar and yields keep the fire burning in otherwise subdued markets

Author

Dhwani Mehta

FXStreet

Residing in Mumbai (India), Dhwani is a Senior Analyst and Manager of the Asian session at FXStreet. She has over 10 years of experience in analyzing and covering the global financial markets, with specialization in Forex and commodities markets.

Markets move fast. We move first.

Orange Juice Newsletter brings you expert driven insights - not headlines. Every day on your inbox.

Editor's Picks

EUR/USD drops to daily lows near 1.1630

EUR/USD now loses some traction and slips back to the area of daily lows around 1.1630 on the back of a mild bounce in the US Dollar. Fresh US data, including the September PCE inflation numbers and the latest read on December consumer sentiment, didn’t really move the needle, so the pair is still on course to finish the week with a respectable gain.

GBP/USD trims gains, recedes toward 1.3320

GBP/USD is struggling to keep its daily advance, coming under fresh pressure and retreating to the 1.3320 zone following a mild bullish attempt in the Greenback. Even though US consumer sentiment surprised to the upside, the US Dollar isn’t getting much love, as traders are far more interested in what the Fed will say next week.

Gold makes a U-turn, back to $4,200

Gold is now losing the grip and receding to the key $4,200 region per troy ounce following some signs of life in the Greenback and a marked bounce in US Treasury yields across the board. The positive outlook for the precious metal, however, remains underpinned by steady bets for extra easing by the Fed.