Fed Kicks Off Rate-Cutting Cycle. Why the Muted Market Reaction?Central bank bros met traders’ loftiest expectations with a half-point cut to interest rates on Wednesday. But is that too good to be true and maybe even a signal of some problems with the US economy and looming fears over at the Fed?
Trading today isn’t the same as trading yesterday. Even though prices don’t really confirm it — there wasn’t a super-duper rally in stocks. Maybe gold XAU/USD flickered a bit, but it was mostly froth . And here we are — the first day of trading in an environment with lower interest rates.
Jay Powell, head of the Federal Reserve, announced on Wednesday the first trim to borrowing costs in four years. The move ushers in a new normal where US interest rates USINTR are projected to continue moving lower from their 23-year high of 5.5%.
The easing cycle kicked off with a jumbo-sized 50 bps (basis points) slash. Surprisingly, the Fed went for the juicier, bolder and more aggressive option, leapfrogging the less interesting and exciting cut of 25 bps.
First reactions across the board showed investors were hyped to get what they wanted — the broad-based S&P 500 hit an intraday record .
Shortly after, however, stocks across the board pulled back and markets became anxious over the outlook as the realization kicked in. If the economy is doing fine, why go big on cuts from the get-go?
What’s more, central bankers are keen to ax interest rates by another half point in 2024, ultimately wrapping up the year with the benchmark rate sitting at 4.25% to 4.5%. Christmas may come early — the Fed meets twice more this year, on November 7 and December 18.
Better Safe Than Sorry?
A super-sized half-point cut could actually be a pre-emptive measure to alleviate a strained economy. But if inflation is now largely in the rearview mirror , what could the problem be? The other mandate. The Fed has a dual mandate of keeping prices in check (inflation) and upholding a stable labor market (jobs).
“We will do everything we can to support a strong labor market as we make further progress towards price stability,” Jay Powell said at the annual Jackson Hole gathering last month. And indeed, America’s jobs have seen a pronounced slowdown over the past few months. In July, markets added just 89,000 jobs (revised from an initial estimation of 114,000 ). In August, hiring had picked up modestly to 142,000 , but below expectations for 164,000.
Pros and Cons of Bumper Cut
Essentially, this big-boy cut of 50 bps is a double-edged sword. It cuts into borrowing costs, making money more affordable, potentially stimulating businesses to add more jobs and grow their gig. And it also prompts consumers to take on debt and get that house.
But on the flip side, a cut of that magnitude risks stirring up price pressures again. To get to full employment, the Fed faces the challenge of knocked inflation waking up from its slumber.
The size of the cut at this particular time doesn’t mean anything without the markets’ reaction to it. Apparently, investors were unimpressed and shrugged it off as no big deal. Looking ahead, however, the stakes are high because stocks are at all-time highs.
The S&P 500 touched a record, Big Tech is leading the charge into artificial intelligence and investors can’t own enough of the highflyers Nvidia NVDA , Meta META , Apple AAPL , etc.
The actual picture will become clear once markets figure out what the Fed’s rate-cutting cycle means and what to do about it.
Interestrates
“Dollar Index Declines After Fed Decision”The U.S. Federal Reserve (Fed) cut its policy rate for the first time in four years, lowering it by 50 basis points to the range of 4.75%-5.00%. Following this decision, the decline in the dollar index accelerated. Fed Chair Jerome Powell stated that the decision shows increased confidence in maintaining a strong labor market while ensuring moderate growth and bringing inflation down to 2% sustainably. Additionally, the Fed lowered its federal funds rate projection for the end of this year from 5.1% to 4.4%, suggesting the possibility of a further 50 basis point rate cut by the Fed this year.
Technically, if the index falls below the 100.50 level, the 100.0 and 99.50 levels can be considered support. However, if it recovers and moves above the 101.0 level, resistance can be observed at the 101.85 and 102.70 levels.
Fed's Bold Rate Cut Raises Stakes for BoE and BoJ Both the Bank of England (BoE) and Bank of Japan (BoJ) are not expected to cut interest rates at their respective meetings today and tomorrow.
The US Federal Reserve just chose to cut its own rate by 50 basis points. So, how might the BoE and BoJ decisions be affected?
Bank of America projects the BoE will leave its Bank Rate at 5.0%, with the pound potentially gaining. However, gains could be capped if policymakers lean dovish. Additionally, a currency strategy note from HSBC says that the sharp appreciation of the British pound against the U.S. dollar may be nearing its limits.
Masamichi Adachi, chief Japan economist at UBS Securities, cautioned that if the BoJ raises rates Friday, just days after the Fed's rate cut, “markets would likely face increased turbulence.”
THE KOG REPORT - FOMCTHE KOG REPORT – FOMC
This is our view for FOMC, please do your own research and analysis to make an informed decision on the markets. It is not recommended you try to trade the event if you have less than 6 months trading experience and have a trusted risk strategy in place. The markets are extremely volatile, and these events can cause aggressive swings in price.
We’re expecting some volatility this Session with the pending FOMC statement so for this report we’ll again look at the extreme levels. We’ve done well already this week, no need to risk anything trying to capture tops and bottoms, so keep an eye on the levels but remember, the trade comes after the event.
The move started early in the week with the price hitting our resistance level and then making the move we wanted completing our first target. This has however left the completion of the move on the table, so we’ll stick with Sundays KOG Report idea for now, but expect a move to the upside potentially into that 2602-5 region and above that 2610! It’s 2610 as the extension that needs to reject the price in order for it make that move downside, as breaking above that will take us further into the 2625-30 region before any breather.
So, as the chart shows, if we get 2602-5 and reject, we could see price move downside to clear the liquidity sitting first at 2550-55 and below that 2525-30.
2525-35 if visited, we feel would represent an opportunity to capture the swing low and then attempt to target that 2550-55 region as the first target.
We’re going to play it safe this time and say if it works it works, if it doesn’t, it doesn’t. If you followed us this week, again we’ve done what we needed to for the week, everything else here is a bonus and should be treated with minimal risk on the markets, until they have settled.
Please do support us by hitting the like button, leaving a comment, and giving us a follow. We’ve been doing this for a long time now providing traders with in-depth free analysis on Gold, so your likes and comments are very much appreciated.
As always, trade safe.
KOG
$USINTR -Fed Cuts Rates by 50 BPS ECONOMICS:USINTR
- The Federal Reserve lowered its benchmark interest rate by 50bps to 4.75%-5% in light of the progress on inflation and the balance of risks.
It is the first rate cut since March 2020 after holding it for more than a year at its highest level in two decades.
Will Feds decision of cutting 50bps tumble the markets in spite of fear for U.S and Global Markets indicating Recession brewing around the corner ?
FOMC 25bps vs 50bps??The day has arrived!! Today is predicted to be the first rate cut by the FED since the COVID crash of March 2020! Two years after that in March 2022 the FED begun rate hikes in an attempt to stop the rising inflation. Now that inflation is close to the FEDs target of 2% it's time to stimulate the economy with cheaper borrowing.
The big question is, 25bps or 50bps?
Last week we saw the ECB (European central bank) cut their interest rates by 60bps from 4.25% to 3.65%, although this news has somewhat gone unnoticed, I'm not so sure the FED would have ignored it. If Europe has considerably cheaper borrowing rates than the US it could signal more growth to come from Europe and that would not be ideal for the US.
Now this doesn't necessarily mean that Europe will be favoured by investors for long as this is only the beginning of rate cuts, Europe could taper off earlier or US could be more aggressive later on, we don't know for sure but I don't think America would want to fall behind.
Prediction markets have shown the 50bps cut is growing in probability. Now at 61% chance for 50bps according to FED funds futures (At time of writing). 25bps is definitely priced in, but I don't think 50bps is priced in. This should see risk markets get a boost.
In terms of TA, the 4H BTC chart looks ready to breakout, back above the 200EMA and 4H support. Flip the 4H resistance and $65,000 is the target.
Be carful today with leverage as volatility will be crazy, plenty of whipsawing and generally the first move direction is wrong. Stay safe out there.
The Dollar Index Accelerates Its Decline!The dollar index has been losing strength recently, falling below the 100.50 level. Following the ECB's decision to cut interest rates, expectations for a rate cut by the Fed have also increased. According to money market pricing, there is a 51% probability that the Fed will cut interest rates by 25 basis points this week, and a 49% probability of a 50 basis point cut. This has pushed the dollar index below the 100.50 level.
Technically, if the index falls below the 100.45 level, the 100.30 and 100.00 levels can be considered support. However, if it recovers and moves above the 100.45 level, resistance can be observed at the 100.70 and 100.90 levels.
GOLD BULLISH TO $2,620!Considering how bullish the weekly candle has closed, I do not believe that Gold has not topped yet.
I think Wave III is close to completion, meaning a Wave IV correction should follow next week during the FED data, followed by a final bull run of Wave V towards the $2,600 mark!
PIMCO Warning on Fed's First Cut in 4 Years next week The only event that matters next week is the US Federal Reserve's interest rate decision, which could result in its first rate cut in over four years
PIMCO analysts, in a fresh note, outlined what could be in store for the U.S. dollar as the Fed embarks on its rate-cutting cycle. Historically, the dollar has shown a tendency to weaken, at least briefly, following the Fed’s initial rate cuts since the 1990s.
The Fed now faces a tight decision on whether to opt for a larger-than-expected half-point cut or stick with a quarter-point reduction.
An aggressive half-point move could raise concerns that the central bank is concerned about the economic outlook for the US, potentially prompting markets to price in further, more drastic rate cuts beyond the Fed's current trajectory.
Pre ECB Rates Decision Analysis12th September (ECB Rates Pending)
DXY: Climbing towards 102 resistance, could push higher if EUR weakens, needs to break 102.20 for further upside to 102.70
NZDUSD: Sell 0.6135 SL 20 TP 60 (Hesitation at 0.6110)
AUDUSD: Sell 0.6685 SL 20 TP 60
GBPUSD: Sell 1.3030 SL 25 TP 60
EURUSD: Rates decision pending, straddle opportunity, Sell 1.0985 SL 20 TP 45
USDJPY: Sell 143.50 SL 50 TP 150
USDCHF: Buy 0.8585 SL 40 TP 80
USDCAD: Sell 1.3580 SL 30 TP 70
Gold: Needs to stay below 2520 for downside to 2500
EUR/USD: Will ECB Resume Rate Cuts Next Week? Futures markets are pricing in a US rate cut for September, with a 62% chance of a 25-basis point cut and a 38% chance of 50-basis points. The Fed’s dovish shift has helped the euro surge to its highest level in more than a year.
Attention now shifts to the ECB’s 12 September rate decision. After cutting rates in June and pausing in July, analysts expect the ECB to resume easing amid slowing growth. However, ECB board member Isabel Schnabel, a key hawk, maintains that inflation concerns should take priority over growth concerns.
For EUR/USD, bulls may target the December high of 1.1134 and July high of 1.1275, with support possibly near 1.1000.
$USINTR / US Federal Reserve Interest Rate 2024-2025US Federal Reserve Interest Rate 2024-2025
And here’s the chart of the interest rate. ECONOMICS:USINTR
I’ll just take a wild guess! Don’t judge me too harshly, but they might keep the rate steady, with a potential cut closer to the elections.
Logically, though, it would make more sense to cut it now, so the masses think there’s no recession coming and that the “Democrats” are saving the world like Chip and Dale.
But people seem to forget that it’s the Democrats who’ve hiked the rate from 0.25% to 5.5% over the past four years, putting the economy in its worst shape in the last 15 years. Getting excited about these 0.25-0.5 point cuts is, at the very least, naive.
So, at the November meeting, most likely just before the elections, we might see a “boost”—a rate cut of 0.5, or even a whole point (wishful thinking). This could lead to another spike in Bitcoin’s price.
These thoughts lead me to believe that the Democrats (Kamala Harris) will win, followed by one more meeting in December, where they might hold or lower the rate again with the new U.S. president in place.
And by late January 2025, the world might plunge into chaos, oops—I mean the rates will start climbing again. The next cut might not come until 2026.
That’s why I’d expect the recession we’ve been hearing about for over two and a half years to finally kick in.
Just my two cents!
The economy peaked in April 2023"JOBS, JOBS, JOBS!"
As Obama said during the recovery period post GFC
This chart shows the employment level --- how many people are employed in the States / divided by the unemployment level --- the number of people without a job. .
A simple Ratio
With all the official Recessions highlighted in the red box.
The dates of the recessions are from Wikipedia.
JOBS are the ECONOMY
Goods and services are still made by people. (That is obviously under attack by robotics and AI) --- but will likely lead to new economies being birthed and new jobs created.
THE #FED is late to cut
and will likely cut too slowly
guaranteeing a GDP contraction therefore further job losses.
HOLDING RISK ASSETS
IS RISKY
needless to say.
Still Bearish on DXYDXY can see some correction to the upside and reach 102.5 or even climb up to 103.5 before September 18, 2024, which, most probably we'll see the first rate cut after a long time.
So be patient and wait for this week's NFP.
Check out my post on June 11 to see how DXY followed our yellow scenario. 😉
RECESSION ALERT - Homebuilders WAY Overbought | SHORT $KBHLeverage. It's a beautiful thing.
There is not much to say about this one, the chart speaks for itself.
Brief Disclaimer: this chart has evaded me - I personally think it should have corrected awhile ago (see grey arrows). Nonetheless, I never bought it... WHY?:
The economy is now well into a recession (has been for at least a year). For whatever reason this thing was bought into the stratosphere.
Now comes profit-taking and the COLLAPSE! This baby is going DEEP!
Thank you for playing.
💀💀💀
NZD/USD powering higher as business confidence, milk prices surg- NZD/USD hits highs not seen since early January
- Latest leg higher fueled by big improvement in New Zealand business confidence
- Kiwi likely to outperform as long as traders continue to see a soft US economic landing
About the only thing rising as fast as dairy prices is New Zealand business confidence right now, and both are beneficial for NZD/USD which has surged to seven-month highs. Who said Kiwis can’t fly?
Kiwi flying on dairy strength, soaring business confidence
As covered in a separate note last week, NZD/USD has been a major benefactor of recent US dollar weakness, not only enjoying tailwinds from narrowing interest rate differentials but also soaring dairy prices. You can now add bullish New Zealand business confidence to the growing list of Kiwi tailwinds.
The confidence measure in the ANZ Bank New Zealand Business Outlook survey surged to a decade-high in August, surging 23 points to +51. Expectations for own activity also bounced, hitting fresh seven-year highs.
The bounce in optimism followed the Reserve Bank of New Zealand’s (RBNZ) first interest rate cut of the cycle earlier in the month, with the bank signalling a further 100 basis points of easing by the middle of next year.
“Things are definitely looking up, albeit from a pretty dark place for many firms,” ANZ’s economics team wrote. “It wasn’t the Reserve Bank’s cut to the Official Cash Rate (OCR) that kicked off the lift – we saw an increase across much of the survey already in July, and the further large jump in August was already evident when the survey first opened at the very beginning of the month.
The table below from ANZ details just how impressive the improvement in the surveys internal components was during the month.
NZD/USD remains a buy-on-dips play
Having chopped back and forth through former resistance at .6218 earlier this week, the data has seen the Kiwi rocket higher in Asian trade on Thursday, hitting levels not seen since early January, breaking through another layer of resistance at .6277 in the process. The question now is whether it can hold there?
RSI (14) and MACD continue to provide bullish signals on the daily timeframe, although the former is now bordering on overbought territory. Even so, the inclination remains to buy dips rather than sell rallies in the near-term.
With nothing else on the New Zealand calendar this week, the biggest threat to the bullish trend arguably comes from incoming US labour market data which has been highly influential on Fed interest rate pricing over recent months, placing emphasis on initial jobless claims that will be released later in the session.
For a cyclical currency like the Kiwi, mild weakness screens as bullish. So too mild strength as both would allow the Fed to begin cutting rates without sparking fears of an impending recession. But if the data were to weaken dramatically, that would be problematic given the Kiwi comes across as a high beta play on the global economy.
If the US were to fall into recession, narrowing interest rate differentials would be more than overridden by fears of weaker demand, hammering risker cyclical plays as a consequence. However, such an outcome screens as unlikely on this occasion, potentially opening the door for the Kiwi to keep rising.
My preference would be to see how the data prints before entering positions. If the price pushes above .6277, you could buy with a stop below the level for protection. .63695 is one potential target. Alternatively, if it can’t hold .6277, you could sell with a stop above the level for protection targeting a pullback to either .6218 or .6150.
-- Written by David Scutt
Knock Knock. Who's There? Vibecession Ft. US Interest RatesHello Everyone,
IMPORTANT: ALL FED POLICIES LEAD TO NEGATIVE OUTCOMES
TLDR AT THE END
In February 2022 the Federal Reserve gave us the fastest rate raising campaign in history to try and combat very high inflation, but they were very late in raising rates causing one of the worst inflation in 40 years. During his speech at Jackson Hole he confirms rate cuts in September due to inflation being under control and the labor market "cooling." Good news is inflation is under control, however this is only the start of our labor market "cooling."
Jerome Powell is extremely late in cutting rates and will be cutting rates because we are getting BAD economic data and the cracks are showing in our labor market, commercial real estate, and banking sectors.
The Federal Reserve 100% KNOWS a recession is coming that is why they are cutting rates. We have Jerome Powell come up on stage sweet talk to us about a soft landing, inflation under control, and how he will cut rates to help the labor market. He's not going to be instilling fear in Americans as a chairman.
Just Remember, ALL FED POLICIES LEAD TO NEGATIVE OUTCOMES. Recession is coming, Sahm rule and inverted yield curve hasn't been wrong and it won't be wrong this time. This time it's not different.
TLDR: Jerome Powell is too late in cutting rates causing a recession
EURAUD Sell IdeaThe reason I am selling the EUR/AUD currency pair is because
inflation in the Eurozone has eased to 2%, which could prompt the ECB to cut interest rates again.
Meanwhile, inflation in Australia has risen slightly while the Reserve Bank of Australia has kept interest rates unchanged, and on the other hand, Australia's trading partner, China, is making efforts to boost its inflation, which has been under pressure, by cutting interest rates and providing future stimulus.
Therefore, the AUD has better long-term prospects compared to the EUR.
Sell Limit : 1.65700
Stoploss : 1.66100
Take Profit : 1.64500
Be safe and protect your capital with stoploss
$DXY - Bottom Range Bound BreachedThe Dollar Index TVC:DXY has breached a pretty serious
level ;
the bottom range bound which has previously acted as
strong support for TVC:DXY to bounce.
Will this time be the same and this will result in a fake-out?
Or will TVC:DXY headed lower, re-visiting pre-pandemic levels?
Check out the previous released ideas linked below
for more in depth information regarding our journey
'Decisive Move Around the Corner' (line chart)
(candlesticks chart)
TRADE SAFE
NOTE that this is not Financial Advice !
Please do your own research before partaking upon
any trading activity based solely on this idea.
Fed’s Powell to Address Rate Cuts at Jackson Hole: What to KnowThe annual Jackson Hole Monetary Policy Symposium takes place this week. Jay Powell, head of the Federal Reserve, will step up to the podium on August 23 and shed light into the central bank’s interest rate-cut timeline. His words will echo around global markets and either propel stocks higher on rate-cut optimism or knock them down if the outlook turns gloomy in the lead-up to the Fed's rate-setting meeting on September 18. No in-between.
The most exclusive retreat in central banking — the Jackson Hole Monetary Policy Symposium — is gathering top bankers, economists, financiers and other financial heavyweights for three days of idea swapping, hint dropping and market popping (hopefully.)
What’s Jackson Hole?
Every August, the top dogs in global finance trade their suits for some Wyoming flannel and gather at Jackson Hole. Hosted by the Kansas City Fed since 1978, this is the forum to brainstorm the future of monetary policy and send it out to traders ready to absorb every word. It’s like summer camp for the financial elite, except the campfire stories can crash markets or send them soaring.
When the Fed Chair speaks here, the world listens. Major policy shifts have been telegraphed at Jackson Hole, from hints of rate hikes to the next round of quantitative easing. If you’re trading, you can’t afford to ignore what’s said — or not said — in these mountain-side discussions.
Highlights from Past Forums
2010: Ben Bernanke, then Fed Chair, hinted at QE2, a measure to spur growth and keep prices steady through bond purchases, and the markets took off like a rocket. Were you long? Because it was a good time to be long.
2020: Jerome Powell unveiled a major shift in Fed policy towards average inflation targeting. The central bank was more inclined to tolerate inflation above the ideal 2% target before it started pumping interest rates.
Expectations for This Week’s Gathering
This week’s Fed event will be especially meaningful and consequential. The Fed boss is slated to present his keynote address on August 23. Jay Powell, the man who moves markets with a simple “Good afternoon,” has a lot to break down.
Inflation has been going down recently. The latest figures show the consumer price index for July slipped under the 3% mark for the first time since 2021.
Consumer spending remains resilient. The retail sales report, again for July, showed that the mighty American shopper upped spending by 1% , topping expectations.
The labor market, however, got way off the beaten path. Just 114,000 new jobs were created in July. This is also what caused the global market shake-up that sent ripples through every asset class — from stocks to crypto and beyond.
Against this economic backdrop, Jay Powell will be moving markets and making headlines as he delivers his remarks. Front and center is some sort of further confirmation of an expected interest rate cut — already communicated and most likely already priced in.
The question now is not if, but by how much interest rates are getting trimmed. Analysts expect borrowing costs to go down either by 25 basis points or a bigger, juicier 50-basis-point cut. And here’s what each one of these means and what’s at stake.
If the Fed chooses to cut rates down by 25bps, it risks not doing enough to prevent the economy from tipping into a recession. Higher rates for longer make it more difficult for businesses to borrow and drive growth.
But if the Fed chooses to cut rates by too much — a jumbo 50bps cut — it runs the risk of reigniting inflation and, what’s even more, fueling another speculative bull run in the markets. Low rates make money less expensive as loans cost less.
The expansive monetary policy measure of cutting interest rates aims to boost economic growth both on the business level and the consumer level. Companies take out loans to expand their operations, build new stuff and hire more workers. And the average consumer finds it easier to get a mortgage or buy a new car (or some Bitcoin ?).
Overall, more money is spinning around, creating opportunity and offering liquidity for deals across markets.
Brace yourselves as Jay Powell gets ready to drop some hints and prepare the audience for the Fed’s next meeting coming September 17-18. The markets may very well be heading into a rollercoaster few weeks as they try to predict the scale of interest rate cuts. Are you getting ready to pop a trade open this week? Share your thoughts and expectations below!
template for researching equity price wrt monetary policyThe template shows an equity price (e.g. QQQ) comparing to SPY,
with indicators of major economic variables
1. Unemployment rate (UNRATE);
2. CPI index (USCCPI);
3. Interest rate (USINTR);
4. FED balance sheet (USCBBS);
5. Dollar strength (DXY);
Unemployment rate and CPI are the two major conflicting variables that central bank (FED) tries to balance, via the method of adjusting interest rate and FED balance sheet (e.g. Quantitative easing). And the dollar strength gives some a peek of the world economic via US currency exchange rates.
Combining these economic indicators can hopefully give some insights of the growth or decline of the US economics which will partially be correlated with equity prices.