Bonds and stocks both stay bid after Powell

December 04, 2024 at 07:44PM
If anything, Powell was more hawkish today in his interview.

He touted an economy that was stronger than thought in September and inflation “a little higher” than anticipated.

“The good news is that we can afford to be a little more cautious as we try to find neutral,” he said.

That points to the Fed moving more slowly from the current 4.50-4.75% range but the market had largely priced that in and doesn’t see a shift yet this month. Fed pricing is at 75% for a cut and was unmoved through Powell’s talk.

Notably, the Beige Book was released as he spoke and it noted only slight economic growth, though combined with better optimism.

Treasury yields are at the lows of the day with 10s at 4.19% compared to a high of 4.28% earlier.

Over in the stock market, fresh highs continue to be led by the Nasdaq, which is now up 1.2% to a new record. Nvidia has picked up the slack and is up 3.75% as OpenAI Sam Altman today expressed optimism and teased consecutive releases and promos over the next 12 days.

This article was written by Adam Button at www.forexlive.com.