Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Inflation is soaring. Should the Fed unleash 'shock and awe'?

Inflation is soaring. Should the Fed unleash 'shock and awe'?

The Bank of England has already started to raise interest rates to fight inflation. The Federal Reserve is likely to follow soon. But how aggressive will America's central bank be?

Investors will be looking for clues when chair Jerome Powell holds a press conference after the Fed's meeting on Wednesday. Investors are not expecting the Fed to make a move this week. That's more likely to happen in March.

It would be the first time the Fed has changed interest rates since slashing them to near zero at the beginning of the 1Covid1-19 pandemic in March 2020. The central bank hasn't hiked rates since December 2018.

Higher interest rates make it more expensive for most people and companies to borrow money. That, in turn, leads to a slowdown in consumer and business spending, which usually puts a lid on rising prices.

Most on Wall Street think the Fed will want to take a slow and steady approach to combating higher consumer prices. Raising rates too sharply could hurt the economy and lead to further turmoil in a suddenly skittish stock market.

Chicago Mercantile Exchange data shows that the market is pricing in an 88% chance of a quarter-point interest rate increase at the Fed's March 16 meeting.

But a small faction of traders believe the Fed will raise rates more aggressively. Investors are pricing in a 5% probability that the Fed will boost rates by a half-point. (The remaining 7% believe the Fed will sit tight.)

Hedge fund manager Bill Ackman tweeted earlier this month that a half-point hike by the Fed could help "restore its credibility" as an inflation fighter since it would be a "surprise move to shock and awe the market, which would demonstrate its resolve on inflation."

"The Fed is losing the inflation battle and is behind where it needs to be, with painful economic consequences for the most vulnerable," Ackman added.

Even some bankers are starting to think that the Fed could start with a big rate hike.

Bruce Van Saun, CEO of New England-based regional bank Citizens Financial Group (CFG), told CNN Business that he's hearing more chatter about a half-point hike.

Van Saun noted that even though that's not really priced into the market just yet, the Fed may want to act more quickly to tamp down further inflation pressures.

Still, most market participants think that the Fed can show that it is serious about fighting inflation with smaller rate hikes.

"We think it is unlikely the central bank will open the possibility of a [half-point] hike in March. We would regard more frequent hikes as the most likely risk," said Luigi Speranza, chief global economist with BNP Paribas, in a report.

That's exactly what JPMorgan Chase (JPM) CEO Jamie Dimon expects to happen. Dimon told analysts on the bank's earnings conference call earlier this month that there is "a pretty good chance there will be more than four" rate hikes this year — and potentially as many as six or seven.

"This whole notion that somehow it's going to be sweet and gentle and no one is ever going to be surprised ... I think it's a mistake," Dimon said about the current expectations of slow, gradual and telegraphed rate hikes.

Get ready for tech earnings


Stocks have been volatile during the first part of earnings season. JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs (GS) and other big banks haven't lived up to the considerable expectations that investors had for their results.

But now it's time for the tech sector, which has been leading the market for the past few years, to take center stage.

Investors will get a read on demand for cloud computing from the likes of IBM (IBM) and Microsoft (MSFT).

Chip leader Intel (INTC), which has rallied this year despite lingering concerns about semiconductor supply chain issues, is also on tap to report earnings. So are Elon Musk's Tesla (TSLA) and the world's most value company, iPhone maker Apple (AAPL).

Expectations are high. Wall Street still adores tech stocks, even though the sector and the overall Nasdaq recently fell into correction mode, down more than 10% from record highs.

According to data from FactSet Research, 62% of the ratings by Wall Street analysts of tech and communications firms in the S&P 500 are buy ratings.

Up next


Monday: Earnings from Philips (PHG), Halliburton (HAL) and IBM

Tuesday: US consumer confidence; Earnings from Ericsson (ERIC), Verizon (VZ), Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), GE (GE), Microsoft, Capital One (COF) and Texas Instruments (TXN)

Wednesday: US new home sales: Fed decision; Earnings from CNN parent company AT&T (T), Anthem (ANTM), Boeing (BA), Intel and Tesla

Thursday: US GDP for Q4; Earnings from Comcast (CMCSA), McDonald's (MCD), Mastercard (MA), Apple, Mondelez (MDLZ) and Visa (V)

Friday: US personal income and spending; Earnings from Chevron (CVX), Charter Communications (CHTR), Caterpillar (CAT) and Colgate-Palmolive (CL)

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Germany Votes to Suspend Family Reunification for Asylum Seekers
Budapest Pride Parade Draws 200,000 Participants Amid Government Ban
Southern Europe Experiences Extreme Heat
Xiaomi's YU7 SUV Launch Garners Record Pre-Orders Amid Market Challenges
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's Lavish Wedding in Venice
Russia Launches Largest Air Assault on Ukraine Since Invasion
Massive Anti-Government Protests Erupt in Belgrade
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Hungary's Prime Minister Criticizes NATO's Role in Ukraine
EU TO HUNGARY: LET THEM PRIDE OR PREP FOR SHADE. ORBÁN TO EU: STAY IN YOUR LANE AND FIX YOUR OWN MESS.
Hungarian Scientist to Conduct 30 Research Experiments on the International Space Station
NATO Members Agree to 5% Defense Spending Target by 2035
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
International Astronaut Team Launched to Space Station
Macron and Merz: Europe must arm itself in an unstable world
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Iran Intensifies Crackdown on Alleged Mossad Operatives After Sabotage Claims
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
Oil Prices Set to Surge After US Strikes Iran
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
×