Currencies: the $ recovers strongly in the wake of the FED FOMC meeting
The greenback is back nearly 1% against the euro, which has fallen below 1.0700 (1.0690), +0.7% against the pound and +0.4% against the Swiss franc.
This session was clearly to the disadvantage of the Euro, which lost ground against all currencies, and -1.1% against the Yen (the most sought-after currency on the eve of the weekend).
The $-Index ended the week at its highest level, 105.13 (+0.6%), a gain of +0.8% over the week.
Above all, however, it was up +1.6% on Tuesday's low of 103.40.
It is not particularly favored by the 10-year T-Bonds: they are down 3pts to 4.312%, the 30-year by -4pts to 4.5040% (it remains anchored above 4.500%, while 30-year mortgage rates are flirting with 7.00%).
As expected, the Fed cut its main key interest rate by a quarter point last night, its second cut in less than two months, while refraining from providing too many clues as to its intentions for the coming months.
However, its members unanimously decided to cut the main policy rate, citing tame inflation tending towards 2% and the need to avert the risk of a slowdown in growth, even if it is admittedly "progressing at a sustained pace".
Jerome Powell, in the course of a question, put an end to the suspense that had lasted since Wednesday morning: "I won't resign if Donald Trump asks me to", and the FED boss intends to see out his mandate (which expires in January 2026).
On the other hand, the day was rather quiet in terms of indicators: there was no detectable reaction in either equities or T-Bonds to the publication of the Michigan consumer confidence index.
It improved much more markedly than expected in November, according to the preliminary results of the monthly survey published by the University of Michigan on Friday.
Its confidence index rose for the fourth month in a row, reaching 73 this month compared with 70.5 in October, while economists had expected it to stand at just 71.
The report, finalized on Monday on the eve of the presidential election, shows that the sub-index measuring consumer expectations jumped to 78.5, compared with 74.1 the previous month, reaching its highest level since July 202 (Wall Street's -long- series of record highs has fostered a feeling of opulence among the more financially comfortable).
Given the still solid employment situation across the Atlantic, inflation tending to moderate and stock market indices at record levels, US household morale should logically remain buoyant.
A word from the Yuan, which posted a -0.5% decline against the $ to around 7.1800 (in line with the $-Index, which recovered 0.6% on average).
Finally, gold, which often moves inversely to the Dollar, is holding up rather well with a symbolic -0.3% decline to around $2,700/Oz, losing less than 1.8% over the past week.
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