The biggest event risk in Wall Street trade was the FOMC rate
decision and subsequent press briefing by Fed Chairman Jerome Powell.
Given the risk-on reaction in markets, it appears the Fed told investors
exactly what they were hoping to hear – and more. The Chairman said
that the central bank will be extending dollar repo and swap lines to
March 31 and will be holding rates near zero due to the “considerable
risks” of the virus.To get more news about
upstox, you can visit wikifx news official website.
He emphasized that officials are not even thinking about raising rates
and assured investors that they should not expect signals on stimulus
removal for some time. This assurance of liquidity and flow of credit is
“essential” for a recovery, particularly in taming volatility in
financial markets. Concerns about a credit crunch as well as the
second-and third-order impact from such an event are a bitter memory for
2008-meltdown survivors.
This is especially true when so-called “Black Swan” events – like the
coronavirus – expose financial vulnerabilities that increase the
likelihood of an asymmetric shock to the financial system. The fragile
leveraged loan and corporate debt market continues to be a point of
concern in terms of liquidity, though the Feds unprecedented efforts
have helped quell fears in that area – at least for now.
Mr. Powell applauded Congress efforts towards implementing another
fiscal package and stressed the importance of non-monetary measures to
address areas that the central bank cannot. This theme of greater
reliance on fiscal measures is also a major consideration in the
sub-zero interest rate environment of Europe. The latest EU leaders
summit and passage of a multi-billion Euro aid package underscores that
point.
Digression aside, the Chairman warned that the Q2 GDP contraction will
likely be the biggest on record, and that going forward the path ahead
for the economy is “extraordinarily uncertain”. He emphasized a familiar
point that the virus and medical metrics relating to it are arguably
the central driver of the economy now, but added that the slowdown in
growth may be short-lived.

To address concerns of financial stability, he said that monetary
authorities can adjust forward guidance and asset buying if necessary.
To top it off – in the spirit of former ECB President Mario Draghi – Mr.
Powell said the Fed will do whatever they can and for as long as it
takes to maintain financial stability and restore economic vitality.
Consequently, stocks ended in the green with the Dow Jones, S&P 500
and Nasdaq indices closing 0.61, 1.24 and 1.35 percent higher,
respectively. In the S&P 500 benchmark, financials and energy led
with the highest gains. Not entirely by coincidence, crude oil and the
petroleum-linked Norwegian Krone were also up for the day.
The Feds supportive message hammered the haven-linked US Dollar and
put a premium on higher-beta assets like NOK and helped push equity
markets higher. Credit spreads across the risk spectrum in the United
States and Europe narrowed, with six out eight CDS indices showing a
below-average spread over a three-month average.
A relatively sparse data docket means investors may focus more on
broader macro-fundamental themes following the FOMC rate decision and
subsequent commentary. The risk-on dynamic in Wall Street trade may push
the New Zealand Dollar higher with commodity-linked and emerging market
assets at the expense of comparatively less-risky currencies like the
Japanese Yen and US Dollar.
NZD/JPY Analysis
NZD/JPYs hesitancy to break below a frequently-brushed inflection
range between 70.030 and 69.897 could mean a retest of stubborn
resistance at 71.249. The pair encountered friction at this level in
February, March, June and most recently in July where it subsequently
led to the invalidation of the May uptrend. Conversely, puncturing
69.897 with follow-through could lead to a cascade of sellers wanting to
capitalize on its retreat.
The Wall