FOMC Minutes Recap

Today’s edition of the FOMC Minutes has come and gone, creating only a minor stir in the markets. The U.S. indices showed little interest, with the DJIA, S&P 500, and NASDAQ holding firm near flat. June USD Index futures mounted a bit of a rally, catching bids above the 96.500 handle, well off intraday lows. At press time (2:30 PM EST), it appears that the FOMC Minutes were already priced into the markets.

Highlights Of The FOMC Minutes

The minutes from the March 20th FED meeting have been released to the public and traders are digesting the information. Here are the key points:

• “A majority of participants expect the evolving economic outlook to warrant leaving target interest rates unchanged for the remainder of the year.”
• “Decisions about the appropriate target federal funds rate will depend on the assessment of current economic conditions.”
• “The U.S. labor market remains strong, but growth has slowed during the early part of 2019 in comparison to late-2018.”
• “Inflation is expected to remain near 2% in the near-term.”
• “The Treasuries yield curve is quite flat, historically a precursor to economic weakness.”

Overview

The FED’s outlook for the March meeting is much the same as we saw in January. In lieu of any real certainty, policy is being crafted with flexibility and patience in mind. In other words, the FOMC will set interest rates in concert with evolving economic conditions.

So, what does that mean? Well, it means that FED policy is going to stay dovish at least until the summer season is over. In the event the U.S. economy outperforms expectations during June, July, and August, the door will be open for a late-year rate hike. If not, interest rates will be in a holding pattern until 2020.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR See More

Shain Vernier

US Analyst

Shain Vernier has spent over 7 years in the market as a professional futures, options and forex trader. He holds a B.Sc. in Business Finance from the University of Montana. Shain's career includes stretches with several proprietary trading firms in addition to actively managing his own accounts. Before joining FX Leaders, he worked as a market analyst and financial writer.

Related Articles

Ethereum Price Prediction Soars—$265M Liquidated, ETH Hits $2,331

8 hours ago

Save

Silver Eyes $33.24 Breakout as U.S.-China Trade Talks Heat Up

12 hours ago

Save

Oil Prices Eye $62 as U.S.-China Tariff Talks Boost Sentiment

12 hours ago

Save

Comments

0 0 votes

Article Rating

Subscribe

Login

Notify of

new follow-up commentsnew replies to my comments

Please login to comment

0 Comments

Oldest

Newest Most Voted

Inline Feedbacks

View all comments