BOC Affirmed the Case of October Rate Hike, Downplayed Strong Growth and Inflation
BOC left the policy rate unchanged at 1.5% in August. Comments from Governor Stephen Poloz also signaled that a rate hike in October is highly likely. Yet, the market interpreted the message sent in the meeting was more cautious than...
RBA Left Cash Rate Unchanged for 25 Months in a Row
RBA left the cash rate unchanged at 1.5% for a 25th consecutive month. Similar to previous meetings, policymakers were upbeat over the growth and the employment outlook, while acknowledging soft wage growth and inflation. In short, the central bank is...
BOC Preview – Growth Upbeat, Just Not Justifies Another Rate Hike Until October
Recent upbeat macroeconomic data has lifted speculations for a BOC rate hike in September. Yet, we do not expect the developments since the last meeting should change the central bank’s gradual normalization policy. Policymakers should bear in mind the lesson...
Powell Signals He Would be More Cautious in Face of Uncertainty
Weaker USD, lower Treasury yields, higher equities… Market reactions showed that Fed’s chair Jerome Powell’s speech at Jackson Hole symposium was interpreted as “dovish”. Discussing about “Monetary Policy in a Changing Economy”, Powell revealed the challenges of navigating the stars...
FOMC to Continue Rate Hike Despite Trump’s Criticism
The minutes for the July FOMC meeting affirmed that the policy rate is prone to increase in September, notwithstanding Trump’s pressure. The members remained upbeat over the economic growth outlook but warned on downside risk due to intensifying trade tensions....
RBA Too Early to be Confident over Consumer Spending
The RBA minutes of the August meeting contained little news, in particular after release of the quarterly Statement of Monetary Policy two weeks ago and Governor Philip Lowe’s parliamentary testimony last week. The minutes reiterated confidence over domestic economic development,...
RBNZ Delays Timing for Rate Change and Inflation to Reach +2%, Kiwi Slumps
RBNZ’s August statement comes in more dovish than we had anticipated. While leaving the OCR unchanged at 1.75%, the members pushed backward expectations for the next interest rate adjustment. Moreover, they pushed back the timing for inflation to reach the...
RBA Keeps Policy Rate at Record Low for Two Years; Might Downgrade 2018 Inflation Forecast
RBA left the cash rate unchanged at 1.5% for the 22nd meeting today. The accompanying statement continued to deliver a “neutral” tone on the future path of the monetary policy. Since the last meeting, domestic economic growth has stayed, and...
RBNZ Preview – Policy Rate On Hold, Overall Tone Neutral or Slightly Dovish
At the August 9 meeting (this Thursday), we expect RBNZ to leave the OCR unchanged at 1.75% and deliver a neutral to slightly dovish policy statement. Since the June meeting, data showed that economic growth moderated while inflation picked up....
BOE Review: Unanimous Rate Hike Decision Fails to Revive Pound
BOE surprisingly voted unanimously to raise the Bank rate, by +25 bps, to 0.75%. This marks the first increase since last November and the second since global financial crisis. The Committee revised higher forecasts for GDP growth and inflation for...