US markets end higher on Wednesday

20 Jun 2019 Evaluate

The US markets ended marginally higher on Wednesday after the Fed suggested the next move for rates is likely to be lower, although buying interest was somewhat subdued amid signs the rate cut could be delayed until next year. The Fed announced its widely expected decision to leave interest rates unchanged with the focus largely on the wording of the accompanying statement. The statement said the Fed continues to see a sustained economic expansion, a strong labor market, and inflation near its 2 percent target as the most likely outcomes but noted uncertainties about this outlook have increased. The Fed said in light of these uncertainties and muted inflation pressures, the Committee will closely monitor the implications of incoming information for the economic outlook and will act as appropriate to sustain the expansion.

The line in the statement mirrors the pledge Powell made in a speech earlier this month, which helped spark expectations of a near-term interest rate cut. Notably, the Fed also omitted its reference to remaining patient when determining future changes to interest rates. The central bank also revealed that its decision to leave rates unchanged was not unanimous, with St. Louis Fed President James Bullard preferring to lower rates by 25 basis points. Powell stated many participants believe that some cut to the fed funds rate would be appropriate in the scenario they see as most likely. Looking ahead, the Fed downwardly revised its forecasts for consumer price inflation in 2019 but left its GDP growth expectations unchanged at 2.1 percent. The forecast for interest rates at the end of 2019 was also unchanged from the March meeting, while the projections now point to at rate cut in 2020.

Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 38.46 points or 0.15 percent to 26504.00, Nasdaq gained 33.44 points or 0.42 percent to 7987.32 and S&P 500 was up by 8.71 points or 0.30 percent to 2926.46.


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