The Federal Reserve Turns Hawkish, Sending the US Dollar Higher

FXOpen

Last Wednesday, the Federal Reserve of the United States (Fed) took financial markets by surprise. It delivered a hawkish message, as suggested by the dot plot that showed two possible rate hikes in 2023, rather than just one as the market participants expected.

As a reminder to all traders and investors, the Fed has a dual mandate – to maintain price stability and to create jobs. It delivers its monetary decisions based on interpreting the balance between the two parts of its mandate.

While job creation posed challenges due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Fed had an easier task fulfilling the inflation-targeting mandate.

The Federal Reserve Turns Hawkish, Sending the US Dollar Higher

Like most central banks in the developed world, the Fed targets inflation close to 2%. Or, at least it used to have this target.

It changed it last August. At the Jackson Hole Symposium last August, the Fed shifted its inflation target from reaching close to 2% to averaging 2%. From that moment on, speculations mounted as to what is the period the Fed will consider for averaging inflation.

Based on its recent decision, it appears that inflation, and not employment, is a concern for the Fed.

US Dollar Ripping Higher on Hawkish Fed

One may say that the Fed took markets by surprise, but the staff’s economic projections left no other choice. The US economic growth forecast was lifted higher for both 2021 and 2023, and so was the inflation forecast.

As such, the Fed raised the interest rate on excess reserves by five basis points in a first attempt to normalize rates. Judging by the market’s reaction, they were taken by surprise as the US dollar gained across the board on the Fed’s message.

The EURUSD pair closed the week well below 1.19, after trading with a bid tone above 1.21 for most of the past two months. Also, the AUDUSD or the GBPUSD lost ground, in a piece of further evidence that the US dollar bears were taken by surprise.

Moving forward, it remains to be seen what will other central banks do. Brazil already reacted, by raising the interest rates, in a classic move from an emerging market’s central bank after the Fed turns hawkish.

The big question is – what will other central banks from the developed world do? The first one to watch is the Bank of England, as the Monetary Policy Committee is due to deliver its decision this upcoming Thursday.

This article represents the opinion of the Companies operating under the FXOpen brand only. It is not to be construed as an offer, solicitation, or recommendation with respect to products and services provided by the Companies operating under the FXOpen brand, nor is it to be considered financial advice.

Latest from Financial Market News

Weekly Market Wrap With Gary Thomson: NIKKEI-225, USD/JPY, GBP/USD, USD/CAD, Gold Weekly Market Wrap With Gary Thomson: S&P500, USD, SNB, TSLA A Yen For Volatility: US Dollar Surges as Japan Ends 8 Years of Negative Rates Weekly Market Wrap With Gary Thomson: US500, USD, US Inflation, USD/JPY Australian Dollar Volatility Ends in Lull Ahead Of US Data

Latest articles

Indices

Although UK-100 Index Is Near All-time Highs, UK Economy Slips into Recession

Technically, a national economic recession is defined as two consecutive quarters of contraction, and yesterday's Office for National Statistics data confirmed that this has happened — UK GDP fell in the third and fourth quarters of 2023 by 0.1% and

Cryptocurrencies

DOGE Price Increases by 170% in Less Than 2 Months

On February 1, 2024, the DOGE/USD rate was = 0.0783. On the last Friday of March, it rose to 0.2150. The rising price means Dogecoin is now the eighth-largest cryptocurrency in the world by market capitalization, overtaking Cardano

Commodities

Market Analysis: Gold Price and Crude Oil Price Gain Bullish Momentum

Gold price started a steady increase above the $2,200 resistance level. Crude oil prices are gaining bullish momentum and might rise toward $85.00.

Important Takeaways for Gold and Oil Prices Analysis Today

· Gold price started a decent increase

CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 65.68% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work, and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.