Investors don`t like higher rates. Normally, the higher the rates go the lower the stock market goes. The Fed needs to do something with the inflation, and raising rates is a tool they use, and this year they seem to be very aggressive.
In March, the Fed raised the fed-funds rate by a quarter of a percentage point, and that was the first increase in three years. Two months later, they raised the rates by another half-point. The Federal Open Market Committee has a meeting on Tuesday and Wednesday this week, so what now?
Experts claim the rate hike can be 50 points, but it can also go to 0,75% or as much as 1,00%
Nasdaq is already in a recession, and S&P 500 jumped into that territory a few days ago. Investors fear the Fed will be more aggressive than expected, as they are opting for the first three-quarter-point increase in the Fed-funds rate since 1994. That was 28 years ago.
Raising the rate 75 points or more is not what we often see, and the last time we saw that happen was in November 1994. The Fed hiked rates many times that year to try to fix the inflation. The problem for the Fed is that if they raise the rates too much and too fast, a recession can occur.
The Fed will look at Unemployment, GDP, and inflation. So, where do we go from here? The Fed Funds futures are now at a rate of 3,05% for December 2022, and it will peak at 3,65% for July 2023. As you can see, there is more hawkish Fed to come.
Will the Fed sacrifice employment and growth to bring down inflation? The higher the rate is, the more expensive the money is for borrowers. This means that people will save more as they borrow less. That can lead to slower growth and lower prices and inflation.
The risk here is that this will lead to a recession. Corporations’ earnings will fall, and so can the stock market. Let`s listen to FOMC and Powell on Wednesday.
Ket Garden
Shiny bull 