U.S. Dollar and Stocks in Focus Ahead of a Crucial Week

 | Dec 12, 2022 04:56AM ET

The week ahead will be an interesting one for investors and probably the busiest of the year so far. The next five days will include global inflation data, economic data, and 11 central bank speeches. However, the currency pairs most likely to experience the highest volatility and news risk are the EUR/USD and the GBP/USD.

Investors will mainly focus on the Federal Reserve, especially during the first 3-days. However, the focus will shift towards the EU and UK on Thursday and Friday. The main events for the US Dollar will be tomorrow’s Consumer Price Index and Wednesday’s rate decision. In addition to the rate decision, market participants will be eager to hear the forward guidance given by the Fed Chairman.

On Friday, the market was shaken by a slightly higher-than-expected Producer Price Index, which is not good for inflation. However, economists still lean towards a 50 basis point hike for this week. Most economists have advised that interest rates are high enough and already in the restrictive territory. This means the Federal Open Market Committee can take a less hawkish stance. Previously the Chairman, Jerome Powells, has advised the regulator would take a “wait and see” attitude while they monitor the lagging effect of their monetary policy.

So how has the market performed since today’s market opened? The US Dollar Index is slightly higher and has increased above 105.00. However, the currency has declined slightly since the opening of the European Trading Session. Global equities had closed lower on Friday after the latest inflation data but remained stable this morning. Commodity markets such as Oil and Gold also continue to remain under pressure.