Central Bank Watch
FOMC Review
September 17, 2015
The FOMC decided that the 0-0.25% federal funds target remains appropriate and did not change its policy stance in any other way. The last two scheduled opportunities in 2015 for interest rate liftoff are October 28 and December 16. Thirteen of the seventeen committee members believe liftoff at one of those meetings will probably be […] More
Deeper Analysis
FOMC Preview
September 17, 2015
It’s T minus one hour and counting to a possible U.S. interest rate liftoff. Suspense ahead of the 14:00 decision remains very high. Rhetoric from Fed officials indicates split opinion, so dissenting votes seem probable. Chair Yellen has been out of the public eye since shortly after her Humphrey Hawkins testimony in July. U.S. inflation […] More
Central Bank Watch
Quarterly Review of Swiss Central Bank Policy Leaves Stance Unchanged
September 17, 2015
The Swiss deflation problem was aggravated by renewed weakness in world oil prices. Consumer prices fell 1.4% between August 2014 and August 2015, and economic growth in the first half of 2015 was virtually flat, with a a drop in the first quarter reversed by slightly positive growth in the spring. With interest rates near […] More
Central Bank Watch
Bank Indonesia Keeps the BI Interest Rate at 7.5%
September 17, 2015
Indonesia has been battling comparatively high CPI inflation for some time. In 2013 a string of BI rate hikes raised such by 175 basis points between June and November, and another 25-basis point increase one year later brought the benchmark up to 7.75%. Indonesia also has experienced a slowdown in growth, which dropped below the […] More
New Overnight Developments Abroad - Daily Update
Narrowly Mixed Dollar Ahead of FOMC Decision
September 17, 2015
There’s been an 8.3 earthquake off the coast of Chile and an ensuing tsunami. In last night’s Republican debate, Trump’s rivals escalated their attacks on the front-runner. This FOMC day could produce the first federal funds rate hike since a 25-basis point increase in June 2006, so there’s excitement in the air. A Janet Yellen […] More
