Macro Outlook for Next Week: Trump's "Self-Harming Strategy" Pressures the Federal Reserve to Cut Interest Rates, Super Central Bank Week is Coming
News on March 15th, for gold investors, this week is a "historical" one. In a world full of uncertainties, gold broke through the important threshold of $3000 for the first time on Friday due to investors chasing this safe-haven asset in this historic surge, seeking to avoid economic uncertainty caused by US President Trump's tariff war. Next week global investors will welcome a "super central bank week", as the Bank of Japan, Federal Reserve, Swiss National Bank, Swedish Central Bank and Bank of England will successively announce interest rate decisions. Here are the key points that the market will focus on in the new week:
Monday 20:30, U.S. February retail sales monthly rate, March New York Fed Manufacturing Index
Thursday 02:00, Federal Reserve FOMC announces interest rate decision and economic forecast summary
Thursday 02:30, Federal Reserve Chairman Powell holds a monetary policy press conference
Thursday 20:30, Number of initial jobless claims in the U.S. up to March 15th, U.S. fourth quarter current account balance, March Philadelphia Fed Manufacturing Index
Friday 21:05, FOMC permanent voting member and New York Fed President Williams delivers a speech
The most important event next week is undoubtedly the Federal Reserve's interest rate decision on Thursday. In addition to the interest rate decision, statement and press conference, the committee will also release updated economic forecasts, including a new "dot plot". As markets widely expect no action before June, focus may firmly be on the dot plot. Some analysts predict that this so-called "economic panic" is a "bitter trick" by the Trump administration trying to force the Fed to lower its stance and cut rates as soon as possible. Former Lehman Brothers trader Larry McDonald also predicts that Trump is deliberately creating an economic recession in order to pressure the Fed into lowering rates, thereby reducing US government interest payments.
Disclaimer: The content of this article solely reflects the author's opinion and does not represent the platform in any capacity. This article is not intended to serve as a reference for making investment decisions.
You may also like
French government bond selling pressure eases, French bond yields fall by 9.8 basis points
Eurozone government bond yields and US Treasury yields have fallen, as some investors believe that yields, which are close to multi-decade highs, are now attractive enough to re-enter the bond market. European investors are focusing on French government bonds, as their yields have surged recently due to budget disputes and the upcoming presidential election next year. Christoph Rieger, an analyst at Commerzbank, stated in a report: "The selling pressure on French government bonds appears to be easing, and the decoupling from US Treasury movements is encouraging." However, he noted that while the cancellation of this week's French bond auction has helped relieve some pressure, caution is still warranted. Germany's 10-year government bond yield fell by 6.1 basis points during the day to 3.435%; France's 10-year government bond yield fell by 9.8 basis points to 4.781%; and the US 10-year Treasury yield dropped by 2.3 basis points to 5.288%.
Day-ahead base load electricity prices in Germany and France fell, with a slight difference in the decline.
(1) Germany's OTC next-day baseload power price dropped by around 10%, falling to approximately 189 euros per megawatt-hour. (2) France's OTC next-day baseload power price fell by about 7%, dropping to around 186 euros per megawatt-hour. (3) The simultaneous decrease in electricity prices in both countries reflects a loosening of the short-term power supply and demand situation. (4) Germany's larger decline compared to France may be related to changes in wind power output or demand-side factors. (5) Going forward, attention should be paid to the impact of weather, renewable energy generation, and fuel costs on electricity prices.
French industrial data cools, fiscal risks disturb the bond market
(1) France's industrial production data for August showed a decline, with reduced electricity demand offsetting moderate growth in the manufacturing sector. (2) Specifically, industrial output in August fell by about 0.3% month-on-month, while July had reached its highest level since 2021. (3) Economists had widely expected a slight positive growth for August, but the actual result was clearly below expectations. (4) Manufacturing output grew about 0.3% month-on-month but was offset by a decrease in electricity production, resulting in overall weaker industrial performance. (5) This data reflects that the eurozone’s second-largest economy still faces significant challenges in driving growth. (6) France barely avoided recession in the first half of this year and now faces new economic headwinds. (7) There is growing market concern over whether the minority government can control the widening fiscal deficit. (8) The dual challenges of economic and fiscal pressures have increased sell-off stress in the bond market. (9) France’s relative borrowing costs have risen to their highest levels since the eurozone debt crisis compared to other countries. (10) Comments by Trump regarding tariffs have also raised market concerns and further dampened risk appetite. (11) Attention should be paid to the future direction of France’s fiscal policy and changes in the bond market climate to assess whether industrial and overall economic stability can be achieved.
Von der Leyen says the EU must address dependence on foreign fossil fuel markets
President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen: We must address the structural issues that expose us to the volatility of foreign fossil fuel markets.