ForexLive Asia-Pacific FX news wrap: Awaiting the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC)

  • Forex news for Asian trading on Wednesday, 14 December 2022

Market movement was very subdued and lacklustre during the session here today. Market participants are, of course, awaiting the Federal Reserve statement at 1900 GMT. A 50bp Fed Funds rate hike is widely, nearly unanimously, expected. After that will come Federal Reserve System Chair Powell’s press conference.

With CPI at 7.1% (the latest result was published on Tuesday, US time) and Fed Funds at 4% (going to 4.5% later today) there is a ways to go still (higher rates) for the Fed. Note that in the previous 8 rate-hike cycles the rises did not stop until the Fed Funds Rate was above the CPI rate. And CPI ain’t gonna be under 4.5% any time soon.

News flow out of China was rapid-fire, including:

  • China is preparing a US$143bn support package for its semiconductor industry

  • the closed-door Central Economic Work Conference expected this week in Beijing has been delayed (COVID impact)

  • China's National Bureau of Statistics will cancel its November press conference scheduled for 10 am on Thursday. Economic data scheduled for then will be released though.

  • China is to offer a second COVID-19 booster to high-risk people

More on these in the points above.

On the central bank front we heard from RBNZ Governor Orr and deputy Hawkesby. Both indicated there are further rate hikes to come from the Reserve Bank of New Zealand (the Bank next meets on February 22).

Offshore yuan tracked more or less sideways also:

usdcnh wrap 14 December 2022

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