FOMC REPORT : Stocks, Bonds, BTC & Gold

15 jun 2023

Hi Traders, Investors and Speculators of Charts 📈📉

Did you miss the 2023 June 13/14 FOMC meeting? No worries, CryptoChecks' got you covered. Here's a summary of what happened and how the outcome of this meeting may affect the respective markets.

First, let's clearly understand the FOMC meeting and it's importance to investors. The Federal Reserve, also known as the Fed, is the central banking system of the United States. It guides the country's monetary policy and influences the economy. The Fed's announcements and statements are closely watched by traders and investors because they can have a significant impact on financial markets. The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) is a committee within the Fed that makes decisions on monetary policy. It consists of twelve members, including the seven members of the Board of Governors and five Reserve Bank presidents. They meet eight times a year to discuss and set policies.
FOMC meetings are important events for traders because any changes in interest rates can affect various economic factors, such as employment, inflation, and exchange rates. The meetings occur every six weeks, and some include a Summary of Economic Projections (SEP) and a press conference by the Fed Chair. Traders pay close attention to the Fed's decisions and statements because they provide valuable information about the state of the economy and future policy changes.

Now, let's look at what was said in this FOMC meeting:

The Federal Reserve decided to pause its series of interest rate hikes at its June meeting, following ten consecutive increases. While the central bank expressed optimism about curbing inflation, the battle is not yet over, and further rate hikes may be on the horizon.

Important facts:

🏛 The Federal Open Markets Committee (FOMC) announced that the federal funds target rate would remain unchanged within a range of 5.0% to 5.25% during the June meeting. This marks the first policy meeting since the start of the Fed's tightening cycle in March 2022 in which interest rates were not raised.

🏛 The Fed confirmed its plan to continue reducing its balance sheet by allowing up to $60 billion in Treasury securities and $35 billion in agency mortgage-backed securities (MBS) to roll off each month, employing quantitative tightening to combat inflation.

🏛 Fed Chair Jerome Powell acknowledged the challenges during the press conference and highlighted the uncertainties surrounding the effects of monetary policy on the economy and potential credit tightening headwinds. Despite the pause, it does not indicate the completion of the Fed's interest rate hike cycle, and further increases may be necessary.

🏛 The Fed has been attempting to navigate the challenge of curbing inflation without causing a recession by gradually raising interest rates. Higher rates increase borrowing costs for businesses and consumers, slowing down economic activity.

🏛 The consumer price index (CPI) rose by 4.1% annually in May, down from the 4.9% gain in April, which was the highest in 40 years. The core personal consumption expenditures price index, the Fed's preferred measure of inflation, increased by 4.7% in April, slightly up from March but lower than the 2022 peak of 5.3%. The long-term target for core PCE inflation is 2%.

🏛 The tight U.S. labor market has posed challenges in the fight against inflation. In May, the U.S. economy added 339,000 jobs, surpassing expectations, and wages increased by 4.3% year-over-year. The unemployment rate rose to 3.7% but remained near historic lows.

🏛 Powell indicated that further rate increases might be necessary to gradually bring inflation down to the 2% target.
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Overall, the potential impact on stocks, commodities, and bonds could look as follow:

Stocks: The impact on stocks can be more nuanced. In general, a steady interest rate environment can be positive for stocks. Lower rates can make equities more attractive as an investment option compared to bonds or other fixed-income assets. It can encourage borrowing for business expansion and investment, potentially boosting corporate earnings and stock prices. However, if the market was anticipating a rate cut or an increase, a decision to keep rates unchanged might cause some short-term volatility or adjustments in stock prices as investors reassess their expectations. This could positively impact stock prices, especially in sectors that are sensitive to interest rates, such as technology, consumer discretionary, and housing.

Commodities: When interest rates remain steady, it can provide stability and potentially support commodity prices. Lower interest rates generally make borrowing cheaper, which can stimulate economic activity and increase demand for commodities. Conversely, higher interest rates can have the opposite effect, potentially dampening demand and putting downward pressure on commodity prices.

Bonds: The pause in interest rate hikes may be favorable for bond prices in the short term. When interest rates remain stable or decline, existing bonds with higher coupon rates become relatively more attractive, leading to increased demand and potentially higher bond prices. Lower interest rates also reduce borrowing costs for companies, which may improve their creditworthiness and decrease the risk of default, making corporate bonds more appealing to investors.

Now, you may be wondering to yourself... despite the above; why is Gold (and BTC) falling instead of rising?


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EXTRA for EXPERTS:

The fact that the US House of Representatives have passed US debt ceiling bill five days ahead of the deadline could be a reason behind the falling price of Gold. With this in mind, it becomes easier to see why the gold market could have slipped. Still, rampant inflation will probably keep a floor under the gold market and as such; a short term drop to next immediate support zone is the most probable. While the true utility of the metal as a hedge against rising prices is a subject of endless economic debate, many investors insist that it is. It’s notable that prices remain close to historic high levels despite much higher interest rates more or less everywhere. The backdrop of war in Ukraine, tensions in the South China Sea, and the durability of post-covid recovery are also clearly supportive of perceived ‘haven assets’ like gold, silver and bitcoin. Is it possible that the large, corporate investors are just countertrading the bullish retail investors in the commodities market at this point?

The odds of a July rate hike are at about 61%, according to CME FedWatch Tool. Investors anticipate a 61.5% chance of the Federal Reserve hiking rates by a quarter point at its July 25-26 meeting, according to the CME FedWatch Tool. The metric hasn’t moved much since Tuesday, even as the central bank indicated in its dot plot on Wednesday that two more rate hikes are coming up.

To understand the relationship between commodities, cryptocurrencies, bonds, and stocks can help you clearly plan your next move after the FOMC meeting.

Commodities and Stocks:
Inverse Relationship: Historically, there has been an inverse relationship between commodity prices and stock prices. When commodity prices rise, it can lead to higher production costs for companies, affecting profit margins and potentially dampening stock performance. Conversely, when commodity prices decline, it can lower input costs for companies, potentially benefiting their profitability and supporting stock prices.

Cryptocurrencies and Stocks:
Limited Relationship: Cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin and Ethereum, have gained prominence as a separate asset class and are not directly tied to traditional stock markets. As such, the relationship between cryptocurrencies and stocks is generally limited. However, during periods of market volatility or significant news events, there can be some short-term correlations as investors seek alternative assets or sentiment spills over from one market to another. But in terms of long-term correlations, the two asset classes have shown relatively independent behavior.

Bonds and Stocks:
Inverse Relationship: Bonds and stocks typically exhibit an inverse relationship. When interest rates rise, bond yields increase, making fixed-income investments more attractive relative to stocks. This can lead to a shift in investor preferences from stocks to bonds, potentially putting downward pressure on stock prices. Conversely, when interest rates decline, bond yields decrease, making stocks relatively more attractive, which can contribute to higher stock prices.

The relationship between bonds and commodities is typically more complex and can be influenced by several factors:

Inflation Expectations: Commodities are often considered an inflation hedge because their prices tend to rise during inflationary periods. When inflation expectations increase, commodity prices may go up, which can lead to higher inflation-adjusted yields on bonds. In this case, there may be a positive correlation between commodities and bond yields.

Economic Growth: Commodities, especially those related to industrial sectors like energy and metals, are sensitive to economic growth. When the economy is booming, demand for commodities tends to rise, potentially leading to higher prices. This can be associated with higher inflation expectations and upward pressure on bond yields. Hence, there can be a positive correlation between commodities and bond yields during periods of economic expansion.

Safe-Haven Demand: Bonds, especially government bonds, are considered safe-haven assets that investors flock to during times of uncertainty or market turbulence. In contrast, commodities, which are more directly influenced by supply and demand dynamics, may not exhibit the same safe-haven characteristics. Therefore, during risk-off periods when investors seek safety, there can be an inverse relationship between commodities and bond yields.

Interest Rates and Opportunity Cost: Changes in interest rates can impact both bonds and commodities. When interest rates rise, the opportunity cost of holding commodities, which do not pay interest or dividends, increases. This can potentially lead to downward pressure on commodity prices. Conversely, when interest rates decline, the opportunity cost of holding commodities decreases, which can be supportive of commodity prices. In this case, there can be an inverse relationship between bond yields and commodity prices.



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