2022-10-19 • Updated
Recent inflation data showed no improvement despite the Fed's aggressive tightening and the key rate hikes.
On Wednesday, September 21, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell announced that the Fed would "keep at" their battle to beat down inflation. The US central bank hiked interest rates by 75 basis points for the third time in a row and signaled that borrowing costs would keep rising this year.
The Fed predicts its policy rate will rise faster and higher than expected, despite the economy slowing down and unemployment rising to the level historically associated with recessions.
The federal funds rate might rise by 125 basis points during the Fed's two remaining policy meetings in 2022, implying another 75-basis-point increase in the near future.
At the press conference, Powell announced the list of economic problems, mentioning rising joblessness and highlighting the housing market. Earlier on Wednesday, the National Association of Realtors reported that the US existing home sales dropped for a seventh straight month in August. Moreover, house prices in August were down about 6% from their peak in June, the biggest 2-month drop in prices in nearly a decade, which is a good sign as a persistent source of rising consumer inflation needed a "correction."
In conclusion, the committee confirmed its commitment to returning inflation to its 2% target.
The economy is still stable, job growth remains solid, and consumer and business spending has increased despite historically high inflation and rising interest rates.
However, there are mounting warning signs. Employment gains are slowing, savings cushions are decreasing, price increases remain high, and corporate profits, which had stayed strong, are declining, underscored by a bleak FedEx warning last week that contributed to a massive stock market sell-off.
Economists believe the worst times are coming over the economy as aggressive Federal Reserve interest rate hikes designed to tame inflation are likely to take a bigger toll on growth in the months ahead.
In 2022, companies have maintained large profits even though they’ve had to pay more for materials and hike wages to deal with worker shortages. However, that’s about to change as consumers temper their spending. According to US economists, earnings of S&P 500 companies grew 3.5% in the third quarter, which would be the slowest pace since 2020. As a result, companies will reduce hiring and capital spending.
In August, employers added a solid 315 000 jobs, which is lower than an average of 455 000 in the year's first seven months. Less job creation means less income and spending.
Also, average weekly overtime hours for factory workers have dropped 11% since February to the lowest level since 2020. That's worrisome because the declining amount of overtime logged by existing workers can provoke future hiring.
Experts predict hiring to slow down, leading to about 500 000 net job losses in the 2023 spring as the unemployment rate increase from the current 3.7% to 4.8%.
The value of the US dollar against other major currencies has reached its highest level since the early 2000s. Even as recession fears mount and the economy shows signs of slowing, the dollar continues to surge.
Broadly, it happens due the high importance of available cash flow and liquidity for a business, household, or portfolio’s financial health. Keeping cash available, especially during a crisis, adds flexibility to any wallet. Moreover, for investors, free cash is one of the main advantages of keeping liquid assets on hand when the economy turns south and risk assets fall. Therefore, as the recession will pressure the stock and crypto markets, causing sell-offs, more and more investors will turn to cash, pushing the US dollar higher against other currencies.
In addition, the US is the major economy around the globe. As a result, a recession will hurt all other economies that are strongly dependent on it. In these conditions, investors will leave “weak” currencies in favor of the greenback to hedge their capital.
In these conditions, the US dollar index has all chances of reaching the 2000s high of 120.00.
Gold isn’t saving investors from inflation as the metal is sensitive to expected long-term real interest rates. Since metal is a long-duration durable asset, its price has a strong inverse relationship with the long-term real interest rate. A further rise in key rates should drive down the price of gold. Therefore, smart money prefers short-term government bonds to gold, as yields skyrocketed to 15-year highs, providing an opportunity to cover inflation losses partly.
XAUUSD, weekly chart
Buyers are trying to defend the level of 1655.00, but it looks like just a matter of time. After the breakout of this level, we expect a massive impulse towards the psychological support of 1600.00.
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The European Central Bank (ECB) has raised interest rates by 25 basis points, marking its tenth consecutive rate hike since July 2022 and bringing the total increase to 450 basis points. The ECB is primarily concerned about high inflation levels, both current and projected, with concerns extending into the future.
The upcoming August inflation data may send mixed signals. The 12-month headline inflation rate is expected to rise to 3.6%, causing concerns for the Biden administration. However, core inflation, which excludes food and energy prices, is projected to decrease to 4.3%, aligning with the Federal Reserve's goals. Past price trends influence both figures, so looking at recent data for a more accurate picture is crucial.
Oil prices have been making headlines, and their impact reaches far beyond the pump. This article explores how the surge in oil prices is changing the game for the US Dollar and the Forex market. We'll break down this complex relationship and provide actionable insights for traders, including technical analyses for XBRUSD and USDCAD.
The past several weeks have been a real triumph for the bulls in the oil market. The Brent spot price grew by 8.5% during the last month.
Gold prices are rising for three consecutive days ahead of the Federal Reserve (Fed) interest rate decision, which is expected to remain unchanged due to declining inflation and a positive economic outlook. Investors are keen on the Fed's interest rate guidance, fearing a hawkish stance that could trigger market risk aversion.
Amid concerns of a Chinese economic slowdown, reports of declining investment often overlook China's efficient investment strategy in emerging sectors for long-term growth. China has taken measures to stabilize foreign and private sector investments, like reducing the reserve requirement ratio to boost investor confidence.
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