Confirming you are not from the U.S. or the Philippines

By giving this statement, I explicitly declare and confirm that:
  • I am not a U.S. citizen or resident
  • I am not a resident of the Philippines
  • I do not directly or indirectly own more than 10% of shares/voting rights/interest of the U.S. residents and/or do not control U.S. citizens or residents by other means
  • I am not under the direct or indirect ownership of more than 10% of shares/voting rights/interest and/or under the control of U.S. citizen or resident exercised by other means
  • I am not affiliated with U.S. citizens or residents in terms of Section 1504(a) of FATCA
  • I am aware of my liability for making a false declaration.
For the purposes of this statement, all U.S. dependent countries and territories are equalled to the main territory of the USA. I accept full responsibility for the accuracy of this declaration and commit to personally address and resolve any claims or issues that may arise from a breach of this statement.
Cancel Confirm
We are dedicated to your privacy and the security of your personal information. We only collect emails to provide special offers and important information about our products and services. By submitting your email address, you agree to receive such letters from us. If you want to unsubscribe or have any questions or concerns, write to our Customer Support.
Confirm
Octa trading broker Sign up Log in
Octa trading broker
Open trading account
Trading news
Back
1 May 2024

Powell speech: Unlikely that next policy rate move would be a hike

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell explains the decision to leave the policy rate, federal funds rate, unchanged at the range of 5.25-5.5% and responds to questions in the post-meeting press conference.

Key quotes

"I do think policy is restrictive and is weighing on demand."

"You can see that with the labor market."

"Saw evidence of that today in the JOLTS report."

"Quits and hiring rates have normalized."

"We believe over time policy is sufficiently restrictive to bring inflation back down to 2%."

"The data will show if that's so."

"Unlikely that next policy rate move would be a hike."

"Policy focus is on how long to keep policy restrictive."

"To hike, we'd need to see evidence policy is not sufficiently restrictive -- that's not what we see."

About Jerome Powell (via Federalreserve.gov)

"Jerome H. Powell first took office as Chair of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System on February 5, 2018, for a four-year term. He was reappointed to the office and sworn in for a second four-year term on May 23, 2022. Mr. Powell also serves as Chairman of the Federal Open Market Committee, the System's principal monetary policymaking body. Mr. Powell has served as a member of the Board of Governors since taking office on May 25, 2012, to fill an unexpired term. He was reappointed to the Board and sworn in on June 16, 2014, for a term ending January 31, 2028."

Interest rates FAQs

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.

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.

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.

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.

 

May 1, 2024

Powell speech: Gaining greater confidence on inflation moving toward 2% will take longer than expected

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell explains the decision to leave the policy rate, federal funds rate, unchanged at the range of 5.25-5.5% and responds to questions in the post-meeting press conference.
Read more Previous
May 1, 2024

Powell speech: No obvious connection between easing in financial conditions and inflation

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell explains the decision to leave the policy rate, federal funds rate, unchanged at the range of 5.25-5.5% and responds to questions in the post-meeting press conference.
Read more Next