empty
17.03.2022 01:18 PM
Risk appetite remained despite hawkish statements from the Fed

The Fed launched what is set to be its most aggressive rate hike since the mid-2000s. According to Fed Chairman Jerome Powell, inflation is too high and the labor market is overheated, so price stability is now the central bank's top priority. He is assured though that the fight against inflation will not lead to a recession in the US economy.

"As I looked around the table at today's meeting, I saw a committee that's acutely aware of the need to return the economy to price stability and determined to use our tools to do exactly that," Powell said. "The US economy is very strong and well positioned to handle tighter monetary policy," he added.

Officials voted 8-1 to raise the main interest rate to 0.25% - 0.5%, after two years of keeping the cost of borrowing near zero.

This image is no longer relevant

In his statements, Powell repeatedly downplayed the risk of a recession, emphasizing that the economy is very strong and all it lacks right now is price stability. He also stressed the almost unanimous support of the committee, which takes inflation control very seriously and is ready to raise rates even faster if necessary.

With regards to the labor market, Powell said it grew sharply in the first quarter of this year, with employers adding more than 1 million jobs in just the first two months. However, that has a negative impact on inflation, as a large number of vacancies allows qualified personnel to seek more attractive jobs, forcing employers to raise wages to attract and retain specialists. Strong demand among the population also contributed to the rise in prices, pushing it to 7.9%, which is much higher than the target 2%.

Powell made it clear that unless inflation starts to come down, the committee will begin to raise rates aggressively. "There is a mismatch between supply and demand, especially in the labor market, and this is causing wages to rise, which is not in line with the 2 percent inflation target," Powell said.

Technical analysis of EUR/USD

Bulls have broken through 1.1000 and are now aiming at 1.1060. Since geopolitical tensions in Ukraine eased a little and the Fed meeting went smoothly, EUR/USD has a chance of rising to 1.1120 and 1.1165 after overcoming 1.1060. But if the pair decreases under 1.1020, the quote will dip to 1.0960.

The Bank of England meeting scheduled for today could lead to a surge in risk appetite, provided that the regulator takes a more aggressive approach on monetary policy.

Technical analysis of GBP/USD

A lot depends on 1.3190 because a breakdown could lead to a jump to 1.3240 and 1.3275. Meanwhile, a dip below 1.3120 will result in a further fall to 1.3080, 1.3030 and 1.2970.

Jakub Novak,
Analytical expert of InstaForex
© 2007-2025
Select timeframe
5
min
15
min
30
min
1
hour
4
hours
1
day
1
week
Earn on cryptocurrency rate changes with InstaForex
Download MetaTrader 4 and open your first trade
  • Grand Choice
    Contest by
    InstaForex
    InstaForex always strives to help you
    fulfill your biggest dreams.
    JOIN CONTEST

Recommended Stories

The Market Enters Turbulent Waters

The market is confident that tariffs won't materialize or that companies can pass them on to customers. The S&P 500's eight-day rally—its longest since August—strongly hints at this. So does

Marek Petkovich 09:24 2025-05-02 UTC+2

What to Pay Attention to on May 2? A Breakdown of Fundamental Events for Beginners

Only a few macroeconomic events are scheduled for Friday, but some are quite significant. Naturally, the focus is on the U.S. NonFarm Payrolls and unemployment rate, yet it's also important

Paolo Greco 09:14 2025-05-02 UTC+2

GBP/USD Overview – May 2: The U.S. Dollar Didn't Rise for Long

On Thursday, the GBP/USD currency pair continued to decline. The dollar had strengthened for three consecutive days—despite having no objective reason. U.S. macroeconomic data has been consistently weak; there were

Paolo Greco 03:50 2025-05-02 UTC+2

EUR/USD Overview – May 2: The Dollar Faces a New Collapse – And It's Far from the Last

On Thursday, the EUR/USD currency pair once again traded relatively calmly, but the U.S. dollar failed to show any meaningful growth this time. A little bit of good news goes

Paolo Greco 03:47 2025-05-02 UTC+2

USD/JPY: A Rough Patch for the Yen

At its latest meeting, the Bank of Japan kept all key policy settings unchanged, effectively implementing the most expected baseline scenario—despite earlier conflicting statements from central bank officials

Irina Manzenko 01:19 2025-05-02 UTC+2

The Dollar Demands the Impossible

The market has finally found relief after America's Liberation Day. Stock indices are ready to recover the ground lost following the White House's implementation of sweeping tariffs amid expectations

Marek Petkovich 01:02 2025-05-02 UTC+2

Market pins blame on former president

In April, the US stock market took investors on its wildest roller coaster ride since the pandemic. The White House's "American Liberation Day" tariffs seemed to undermine the S&P 500's

Marek Petkovich 12:01 2025-05-01 UTC+2

Why Gold Is Falling for the Third Consecutive Day

Gold is declining for the third straight day amid signs of potential progress in trade negotiations between the U.S. and several other countries, which is dampening demand for safe-haven assets—even

Jakub Novak 11:40 2025-05-01 UTC+2

The Japanese Yen Has Declined Sharply — Here's Why

The yen fell sharply against the dollar and bond yields declined after the Bank of Japan (BoJ) left interest rates unchanged and pushed back the expected timeline for hitting

Jakub Novak 11:31 2025-05-01 UTC+2

The Eurozone Continues to Deliver Unexpected Results

According to the latest data, the eurozone economy grew more than expected at the beginning of the year, although it has yet to fully feel the impact of the U.S

Jakub Novak 09:13 2025-05-01 UTC+2
Can't speak right now?
Ask your question in the chat.
Widget callback
 

Dear visitor,

Your IP address shows that you are currently located in the USA. If you are a resident of the United States, you are prohibited from using the services of InstaFintech Group including online trading, online transfers, deposit/withdrawal of funds, etc.

If you think you are seeing this message by mistake and your location is not the US, kindly proceed to the website. Otherwise, you must leave the website in order to comply with government restrictions.

Why does your IP address show your location as the USA?

  • - you are using a VPN provided by a hosting company based in the United States;
  • - your IP does not have proper WHOIS records;
  • - an error occurred in the WHOIS geolocation database.

Please confirm whether you are a US resident or not by clicking the relevant button below. If you choose the wrong option, being a US resident, you will not be able to open an account with InstaForex anyway.

We are sorry for any inconvenience caused by this message.