NY Fed’s Williams Nixes 50 BP March Hike in Federal Funds Rate
– ‘No Compelling Argument’ For Big Move In the Beginning of Firming Process – Affirms Market Expectations of ‘More Normal’ Funds Rate of 2-2.5% by end 2023 – MBS Sales Should Only Be Considered ‘Down The Road’ – ‘Confident’ Fed ‘Can Manage the Soft Landing’ By Steven K. Beckner (MaceNews) – New York Federal Reserve […]
Chicago Fed’s Evans: Monetary Policy ‘Wrongfooted, Needs Substantial Adjustment’
– Expects Inflation to Drop; Still ‘Well Anchored at 2%’ – ‘No Extra Monetary Restraint Needed to Bring Inflation Down’ By Steven K. Beckner (MaceNews) – Chicago Federal Reserve Bank President Charles Evans predicted Friday that inflation will fall from its current rapid pace and said he doesn’t think the Fed will need to be […]
BOJ Moves to Defend 10-Year JGB Yield’s 0.25% Ceiling as Bonds Sold on Fed Tightening Mode
By Max Sato (MaceNews) – The Bank of Japan sent a clear message to financial markets late on Thursday that it is not following other major central banks in shifting gears toward tightening by announcing that it is conducting an unlimited fixed-rate long bond buying operation at 0.25%, the upper limit of its guidance range. […]
Cleveland Fed’s Mester: Should Reduce Balance Sheet Soon, Faster Than Last Time
By Steven K. Beckner (MaceNews) – Expressing heightened concern about inflation, Cleveland Federal Reserve Bank President Loretta Mester called Wednesday for an early and relatively rapid firming of monetary policy. Mester, a voting member of the Fed’s policy making Federal Open Market Committee this year, said she favors starting to raise the federal funds in […]
ECB Sounds More Hawkish Note But Leaves Policy Unchanged
— President Christine Lagarde Acknowledges that Inflation is More Likely to Overshoot Target (MaceNews) – The European Central Bank “will not be complacent” about record-high eurozone inflation, a more hawkish stance from ECB President and long-term dove Christine Lagarde Thursday. “Compared to December, inflation risks are tilted to the upside, particularly in the near term,” […]
Bank of England Lifts Rates; Sends Hawkish Signals
— Decision was a “close call,” says governor, as four members argue for a steeper increase LONDON (MaceNews) – The Bank of England lifted interest rates for the second straight meeting — the first consecutive hikes since 2004 —but surprised the markets with a decidedly hawkish outlook, according to minutes of the February Monetary Policy Committee […]
KC Fed’s George: FOMC Needs to Move ‘Deliberately’ To Raise Federal Funds Rate
Funds Rate ‘Far Away’ From ‘Normal’ Monetary Policy ‘Out of Sync’ With Economic Outlook By Steven K. Beckner (MaceNews) – Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank President Esther George said Monday that the Fed needs to move “deliberately” to withdraw the unprecedented monetary stimulus adopted to counter the Covid lockdown-induced recession. George, who is voting this […]
FOMC Says Expects to ‘Soon Be Appropriate’ to Change Target Rate for Fed Funds
WASHINGTON (MaceNews) – The following is the Federal Open Market Committee’s statement Wednesday of its policy stance, accompanied by a reaffirmation of its August 2020 statement that the Fed’s main tool remains changes in the federal funds rate while asset purchases diminish: Indicators of economic activity and employment have continued to strengthen. The sectors most […]
Bank of Canada Keeps Record-Low Rate But Ends Forward Guidance on Easing
— BOC’s Macklem: Taking Deliberate Steps Toward Higher Interest Rates— BOC To Keep Govt Bonds on Its Balance Sheet Until It Starts Raising Rates— BOC Revises Up 2022 CPI Forecast To 4.2% From 3.4%; 2023 Unchanged at 2.3%— BOC Lowers 2022 GDP Forecast to 4.0% From 4.3%, 2023 To 3.5% Vs 3.7% By Max Sato […]
Bank of Canada Policy Statement – Holds Rates Steady, Ends Extraordinary Forward Guidance on Policy Rate
(MaceNews) – The following is the text of Wednesday’s Bank of Canada policy announcement: The Bank of Canada today held its target for the overnight rate at the effective lower bound of ¼ %, with the Bank Rate at ½ % and the deposit rate at ¼ %. With overall economic slack now absorbed, the […]