J. P. Marín-Arrese | Jerome Powell boasts having curbed the recent inflation flare through resolute tightening of monetary policy.  While the need to perform rate hikes seems obvious, it seems far from evident it stood as the paramount driving force. For, as is now clear, the Fed delivered negative rates throughout the inflationary bout and only undertook lukewarm efforts to drain the excess liquidity fearing the danger of a credit-crunch….

The Fed has lowered interest rates by 0.5 points, thus aligning with the market, which anticipated a roughly 70% probability of a 50 basis point cut. As a financial institution noted this morning, “the risk for credit markets is that a 50 basis point cut may be interpreted as an emergency measure. Consequently, the gradual approach and soft landing that have benefited this type of asset could be disrupted. On…

Link Securities | According to a Reuters poll, a majority of economists surveyed believe that the Federal Reserve (Fed) will cut its policy rate by 25 basis points at each of the three remaining policy meetings this year (September, November and December). Moreover, only nine economists out of 101 surveyed expected a cut of half a percentage point next week, when the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meets, while 92…