Federal Reserve set to continue easing cycle as Trump win adds to uncertainty over future interest-rate cuts

07 Nov 2024, 11:00 by FXStreet Team · FXStreet

The Federal Reserve is widely expected to lower the policy rate after Donald Trump won the US presidential election.
Fed Chairman Powell’s remarks could provide important clues about the rate outlook.
The US Dollar rally could lose steam in case the Fed leaves the door open for another rate cut in December.

The US Federal Reserve (Fed) will announce monetary policy decisions following the November policy meeting on Thursday, just barely two days after Donald Trump was elected as the 47th president of the United States. Market participants widely anticipate that the US central bank will lower the policy rate by 25 basis points (bps) to the range of 4.5%-4.75%.

The CME FedWatch Tool shows that investors are fully pricing in a 25 bps cut, while there is a nearly 70% probability of another rate reduction in December. The market positioning suggests that the US Dollar (USD) faces a two-way risk heading into the event.

Donald Trump’s victory in the presidential election triggered a rally in the US Treasury bond yields and boosted the USD on Wednesday. Additionally, Republicans gained the majority in the Senate and looked on track to control the House, paving the way for faster implementation of policies.

Assessing the outcome of the election, “Republican clean sweep makes it significantly easier to implement full policy agenda. Risks very firmly tilted to the downside for US and global economic growth and to the upside for US inflation,” said ABN Amro analysts in a recently published report.

“While Fed policy could be tighter than our current base line, the ECB could cut rates faster. Republican sweep sets the stage for US-European rates divergence. Parity for EUR/USD could be on the cards,” they added.

Economic Indicator

Fed Interest Rate Decision

The Federal Reserve (Fed) deliberates on monetary policy and makes a decision on interest rates at eight pre-scheduled meetings per year. It has two mandates: to keep inflation at 2%, and to maintain full employment. Its main tool for achieving this is by setting interest rates – both at which it lends to banks and banks lend to each other. If it decides to hike rates, the US Dollar (USD) tends to strengthen as it attracts more foreign capital inflows. If it cuts rates, it tends to weaken the USD as capital drains out to countries offering higher returns. If rates are left unchanged, attention turns to the tone of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) statement, and whether it is hawkish (expectant of higher future interest rates), or dovish (expectant of lower future rates).

When will the Fed announce its interest rate decision and how could it affect EUR/USD?

The US Federal Reserve is scheduled to announce its interest rate decision and publish the monetary policy statement on Thursday at 19:00 GMT. This will be followed by Fed Chairman Jerome Powell's press conference starting at 19:30 GMT.

A 25 bps rate cut is unlikely to trigger a significant market reaction because this decision is already priced-in. But investors will pay close attention to comments from Chair Powell in the post-meeting press conference, which could be more market-moving.

In case Powell leaves the door open for one more 25 bps rate cut in December, the immediate reaction could hurt the USD. Powell will surely be asked about the potential impact of proposed Trump policies on the inflation and growth outlook. The Chairman is likely to refrain from commenting on these issues and reiterate the data-dependent approach to policymaking, regardless of the winner of the election.

If Powell voices concerns over the potential impact of tariffs on inflation expectations, this could be seen as a sign that the US central bank could take its time to ease the policy further. In this scenario, the USD could extend its weekly rally and cause EUR/USD to stretch lower.

Nevertheless, it’s too early for policymakers to assess the potential changes to the monetary policy due to proposed policies during the campaigning period. In December, the Fed will publish the revised Summary of Projections and that publication is likely to provide more useful information on what officials expect from the economy under the Trump administration.

Eren Sengezer, European Session Lead Analyst at FXStreet, provides a short-term technical outlook for EUR/USD:

“EUR/USD remains technically bearish following the sharp decline seen on Wednesday. The Relative Strength Index (RSI) indicator on the daily chart stays slightly above 30, suggesting that the pair has more room on the downside before turning technically oversold.”

"On the downside, static support seems to have formed at 1.0700 before 1.0600 (static level from April) and 1.0500 (static level from October 2023, round level). In case EUR/USD gathers recovery momentum on a dovish Fed tone, it could face strong resistance at 1.0870, where the 200-day Simple Moving Average (SMA) is located. Technical buyers could take action once the pair flips that level into support. In this scenario, the 100-day SMA coils be seen as next hurdle at 1.0940 before 1.1000 (static level, round level)."

Interest rates FAQs

What are interest rates?

Interest rates are charged by financial institutions on loans to borrowers and are paid as interest to savers and depositors. They are influenced by base lending rates, which are set by central banks in response to changes in the economy. Central banks normally have a mandate to ensure price stability, which in most cases means targeting a core inflation rate of around 2%. If inflation falls below target the central bank may cut base lending rates, with a view to stimulating lending and boosting the economy. If inflation rises substantially above 2% it normally results in the central bank raising base lending rates in an attempt to lower inflation.

How do interest rates impact currencies?

Higher interest rates generally help strengthen a country’s currency as they make it a more attractive place for global investors to park their money.

How do interest rates influence the price of Gold?

Higher interest rates overall weigh on the price of Gold because they increase the opportunity cost of holding Gold instead of investing in an interest-bearing asset or placing cash in the bank. If interest rates are high that usually pushes up the price of the US Dollar (USD), and since Gold is priced in Dollars, this has the effect of lowering the price of Gold.

What is the Fed Funds rate?

The Fed funds rate is the overnight rate at which US banks lend to each other. It is the oft-quoted headline rate set by the Federal Reserve at its FOMC meetings. It is set as a range, for example 4.75%-5.00%, though the upper limit (in that case 5.00%) is the quoted figure. Market expectations for future Fed funds rate are tracked by the CME FedWatch tool, which shapes how many financial markets behave in anticipation of future Federal Reserve monetary policy decisions.

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