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RBA Hikes Rates, Sees “Further Increases”
The Reserve Bank of Australia hiked rates by 0.25% to a 10-year high rate of 3.35% as expected but added more hawkish language to its statement predicting additional hikes, raising the expected terminal rate.
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- The Australian Dollar has gained against other currencies following the Reserve Bank of Australia’s implementation of a 0.25% rate hike, which was expected. More significantly, the RBA added language in its rate statement which makes clear it expects to see further rate increases over the near future. The current rate is 3.35%, which is a 10-year high, but markets now expect the Bank will continue to raise its rate to 3.85%, with 0.25% hikes in both March and April.
- Stock markets have mostly gained weakly during the Asian session after falling yesterday, possibly on the hope that US Fed Chair Jerome Powell will give stock bulls some comfort when he speaks later today.
- The S&P 500 Index made a golden cross last Thursday. This is typically a strong long-term buy signal, although the price has fallen since then.
- In the Forex market, the Australian Dollar is the strongest currency right now, while the US Dollar is the weakest, putting the AUD/USD currency pair in focus.
- The Chair of the Federal Reserve and the Governor of the Bank of Canada will each be speaking later today at separate minor events.
- Daily confirmed new global coronavirus cases decreased last week for the seventh consecutive week.
- Total confirmed new coronavirus cases worldwide stand at over 676.4 million with an average case fatality rate of 1.00%. Daily new confirmed cases have fallen to a low level not seen since June 2020.
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