BOC's Macklem: Time to pause and assess whether policy is sufficiently restrictive

Eren Sengezer FXStreet

Following the Bank of Canada's decision to raise the policy rate by 25 basis points to 4.5%, Bank of Canada (BoC) Governor Tiff Macklem delivers his remarks on the policy outlook and responds to questions.

Key takeaways

"Bank of Canada has raised rates rapidly, now it's time to pause and assess whether monetary policy is sufficiently restrictive."

"This is a conditional pause, dependent on the economy developing broadly in line with forecasts."

"If we need to do more to get inflation to the 2% target, we will; if upside risks materialise we are prepared to raise rates further."

"We are turning the corner on inflation, but are still a long way from our target."

"Economic growth and spending in H2 2022 were stronger than forecast, our overheated economy did not cool as much as we had expected."

"Lower gasoline prices are welcome but prices of essentials continue to rise too quickly."

Author

Eren Sengezer

FXStreet

As an economist at heart, Eren Sengezer specializes in the assessment of the short-term and long-term impacts of macroeconomic data, central bank policies and political developments on financial assets.

GBP/USD bounces off four-day lows, still below 1.3500

GBP/USD sticks to the bearish tone on Thursday, coming down to the 1.3480 region in the latter part of the NA session. In the meantime, Cable’s weakness comes as investors continue to assess mixed UK data, poor US results, and the persistent uncertainty surrounding the US-Iran conflict.

EUR/USD looks apathetic around 1.1530

EUR/USD reverses Wednesday’s downtick and trades with modest gains in the 1.1530 region following the end of the NA session on Thursday. The pair’s tepid advance comes on the back of the absence of clear direction in the US Dollar despite tensions from the Middle East appear far from alleviated. Later on Friday, investors are expected to monitor the the releases of another revision of GDP figures in the Euroland, US Retail Sales and the preliminary U-Mich gauge.

Gold remains on the defensive below $4,350; downside seems cushioned

Gold trades below $4,350 during the Asian session on Friday and looks to extend the previous day's pullback from the highest level since June 5 as the US-Iran standoff continues to underpin the US Dollar's reserve-currency status. However, reduced bets for an immediate Fed rate hike, amid signs of cooling US inflation, should act as a tailwind for the non-yielding bullion and help limit deeper losses.

Dogecoin reclaims $0.07 support as whales step in

Dogecoin (DOGE) edges above the daily open, trading above $0.070 as of Thursday. While this uptick offers a positive signal, DOGE continues to trade within a broader bearish context, down approximately 12% from its July peak of $0.079. Still, should the $0.070 support level hold, the mild recovery could gather pace, targeting resistance at $0.080 and potentially the key $0.100 threshold.

Why credit markets aren’t pricing $570B of AI debt

Forecasts put global artificial intelligence related debt issuance near $570 billion this year, with roughly $236 billion of it priced by the end of May at four times the prior year's pace. Data centre securitisation alone has gone from about $4 billion a year through 2022 to roughly $10 billion in each of 2023 and 2024, and then $27 billion in 2025.

Why is Crude Oil priced for a reopening the ships haven't made?

Fourteen vessels crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday. Before the war, the count ran near 120 a day. In the sessions since the waterway was publicly declared open, Brent has drifted back to $87 and West Texas Intermediate (WTI) to $81, both a little lower again on Wednesday, with daily momentum on each unwound from the top of its range in late July to the low twenties now.