Bostic and Barkin comments on current economic state 🔔

Fed's Bostic's comments reflect a cautious yet optimistic outlook on the US economy. He anticipates a slowdown in economic activity in the coming months, aligning with a more confident stance from the US Fed on the current economic situation. Bostic emphasizes that the journey to achieving a 2% inflation rate will be challenging but attainable, highlighting the diminishing pricing power among companies. He notes that tighter monetary policies are significantly impacting economic activities, suggesting a continued disinflation trend. Bostic maintains that despite the hurdles, the central bank is on a path to manage and eventually lower inflation rates effectively.

Fed's Barkin presents a more guarded view, noting a slowdown in consumer spending without a significant downturn. He expresses skepticism about price-setters returning to their pre-COVID behaviors and aligns revised consumer spending data with his on-ground observations. Barkin cautions that talks of rate cuts are premature and anticipates that inflation might be more persistent than desired. He acknowledges a forecasting challenge between the markets and the Fed, stressing the need for flexibility in rate adjustments if inflation rises again.

EURUSD retreats to levels before yesterday's breakout above 1.10. However, the exchange rate still remains above the 61.8% Fibonacci retracement of the last downward move. Maintaining current levels is crucial for the continuation of further upward movement. Source: xStation 5