The Fed meeting in November was never expected to provide ground-breaking news. The FOMC does not make statements without an accompanying press conference and the dot plot, even though they insist that every meeting is a live one.
However, this meeting could cement the decision to raise rates. In the unlikely event that they do not provide a smoking gun for a hike, the dollar could crash as such an outcome is not priced in.
Here is a preview for the November 1st Fed decision:
4 reasons to hike in December
And to make sure we know about it on November 1st.
Because they hinted they would do it: The dot-plot from the September meeting sees one more hike in 2017. Yellen acknowledged lower inflation but is still confident about a hike. Dudley, which used to be a dove, seems keen on raising rates. There are very few doves such as Kashakri which may dissent or Bullard, that does not even have a vote.
Strong growth: GDP growth stood at 3.1% annualized in Q2 and 3% in Q3 according to the initial figure. This is above the “new normal” and in theory, stronger growth implies higher inflation down the road.
Upbeat employment: Everybody sees through the hurricane-impacted jobs report for September. The general picture remains of solid job gains in all fields. Employment is half of the Fed’s mandate and Yellen leans more towards this mandate than the inflation one.
Yellen’s last stand: According to all the reports, Yellen will not continue as Fed Chair. Trump wants to “make his mark” and is likely to appoint Jerome Powell on Thursday. While Powell may not be that different from Yellen, the outdoing Fed Chair will want to leave a clean slate and raise rates as widely telegraphed rather than making a last-minute change. A pre-announcement in November of a no-hike is “last-minute” in Fed terms.
Bond markets are pricing in a rate hike in December and November’s meeting will most probably confirm that. In this case, the dollar could tick higher, but we cannot expect any huge move.
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