Federal Reserve raises the interest rate to the target range of 2.25% to 2.5% as of December 2018.

Charlene Vos

2018-12-22 14:38:00 Sat ET

Federal Reserve raises the interest rate to the target range of 2.25% to 2.5% as of December 2018. Fed Chair Jerome Powell highlights the dovish interest rate hike that the U.S. economy seems sluggish in terms of real GDP per capita economic growth, employment, and capital investment. Some economic indicators such as household income and wage momentum soften in the current macro outlook.

Wall Street reacts negatively to the Powell comment about continuing to shrink the Federal Reserve balance sheet. Several stock market indices slump to the lowest levels in the fiscal year 2018. Dow Jones declines 352 points or 1.5%; S&P 500 also declines 1.5%; and NASDAQ plunges 2.3% as of mid-December 2018. This stock market pain extends to global markets: European and Asian stocks exhibit sharp losses around 3% on the next business day.

The Federal Reserve expects to ease the current interest rate hike with no more than 2 to 3 rate increases in 2019. Chairman Powell conveys his unusual dovish tone that the current interest rate hike reflects healthy fundamental recalibration in U.S. financial markets. This rate hike benefits most savers and traders who receive dividend and interest income from their stock and bond market investments.

 


If any of our AYA Analytica financial health memos (FHM), blog posts, ebooks, newsletters, and notifications etc, or any other form of online content curation, involves potential copyright concerns, please feel free to contact us at service@ayafintech.network so that we can remove relevant content in response to any such request within a reasonable time frame.

Blog+More

The current AI-driven stock market rally may not be an asset bubble yet.

Laura Hermes

2027-04-30 12:31:00 Friday ET

The current AI-driven stock market rally may not be an asset bubble yet.

In recent years, the current AI-driven stock market rally may or may not turn out to be another major asset bubble in global human history. For the pract

+See More

Fed's new chairman Jerome Powell testifies before Congress for the first time.

Rose Prince

2018-02-27 09:35:00 Tuesday ET

Fed's new chairman Jerome Powell testifies before Congress for the first time.

Fed's new chairman Jerome Powell testifies before Congress for the first time. He vows to prevent price instability for U.S. consumers, firms, and finan

+See More

Warren Buffett shares his fresh economic insights and value investment strategies at the Berkshire Hathaway shareholder forum.

Daphne Basel

2018-05-05 07:33:00 Saturday ET

Warren Buffett shares his fresh economic insights and value investment strategies at the Berkshire Hathaway shareholder forum.

Warren Buffett shares his fresh economic insights and value investment strategies at the Berkshire Hathaway shareholder forum in May 2018 despite the new GA

+See More

Self-Improvement Book Review: The 8th Habit by Stephen Covey.

Monica McNeil

2026-05-02 10:28:00 Saturday ET

Self-Improvement Book Review: The 8th Habit by Stephen Covey.

Stephen Covey recommends the 8th habit for effective team leaders to find their own voices (in addition to the 7 habits of highly effective people). In esse

+See More

The Economist offers a special report that the new normal state of economic affairs shines fresh light on the division of labor between central banks and governments.

Jonah Whanau

2019-11-15 13:34:00 Friday ET

The Economist offers a special report that the new normal state of economic affairs shines fresh light on the division of labor between central banks and governments.

The Economist offers a special report that the new normal state of economic affairs shines fresh light on the division of labor between central banks and go

+See More

U.S. judiciary subcommittee delves into the market dominance of online platforms in terms of the antitrust, commercial, and administrative law in America.

Daphne Basel

2021-11-22 11:29:00 Monday ET

U.S. judiciary subcommittee delves into the market dominance of online platforms in terms of the antitrust, commercial, and administrative law in America.

U.S. judiciary subcommittee delves into the market dominance of online platforms in terms of the antitrust, commercial, and administrative law in America.

+See More