Time | Country | Event | Period | Previous value | Forecast | Actual |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
00:30 | Australia | Leading Index | February | -0.1% | 0.02% |
During today's Asian trading, the US dollar has consolidated against the euro and rose against the yen in anticipation of the outcome of the meeting of the Federal reserve system (Fed).
The Fed will probably note an improvement in the outlook for the U.S. economy, but emphasize that it is too early to change the Central Bank's plans in relation to the base interest rate, and volume of redemption of bonds.
Fed Chairman Jerome Powell has repeatedly said in recent months that he would like to see "substantial further progress" in the economic recovery before the Fed begins to reduce the volume of bond purchases, currently $ 120 billion a month.
The promotion of COVID-19 vaccination, as well as the adoption of a new $1.9 trillion economic stimulus package, have improved the outlook for the US economy, but the Fed is unlikely to tighten the current ultra-soft policy until these forecasts are justified.
At the same time, investors are concerned about the slow pace of coronavirus vaccination in the EU and the impact on the region's economic recovery. A number of European countries, including Germany, France, Spain and Italy, have suspended the use of the COVID-19 vaccine manufactured by AstraZeneca. This step was taken by the authorities in connection with reports that some people after vaccination with this drug formed blood clots.
The ICE Dollar index, which shows the value of the US dollar against six major world currencies, rose by 0.05%.