- Three major central banks – the Federal Reserve, ECB, and Bank of Japan – are announcing monetary policy decisions this week, potentially creating trading setups and opportunities in the forex market.
- Forex traders are closely watching for interest rate hikes and policy outlooks from the central banks, particularly the Fed’s hawkishness or dovishness, and any potential surprises from the Bank of Japan that could trigger significant currency movements.
This week, three of the world’s most watched central banks are scheduled to announce their monetary policy decisions. The Federal Reserve will be the first to make its announcement on Wednesday at 2:00 pm, followed by the ECB on Thursday at 8:15 am, and the Bank of Japan later on Thursday at 11:00 pm (NY time). This convergence of central bank activities may lead to potential trading opportunities.
The consensus among analysts is that the Federal Reserve will raise borrowing costs by 25 basis points, bringing the interest rate to 5.25%-5.50%. This rate hike is widely expected, so traders will be more focused on the policy outlook of the Bank. How hawkish or dovish the Bank’s stance is perceived to be will likely influence the EUR/USD pair. Because inflation gauges in the US have eased recently, the Fed may hint at potential pauses in future rate hikes.
Monetary Policy Bonanza: Central Bank Decisions to Watch by BlackBull_Markets on TradingView.com
About 18 hours later, the ECB is also anticipated to deliver a 25bps rate increase. Once again, traders will be closely watching the Bank’s outlook. While there is a possibility that the ECB may hold back from committing to further tightening, the absence of similar inflation softening in the Euro Area as seen in the US makes this less likely.
Looking at the EUR/USD chart, the pair has already slipped below a technical support level at 1.10700, and the psychological level of 1.10500 is now in clear view.
Among the three central banks, traders believe that the Bank of Japan is the most likely to surprise the markets. There’s speculation that the Bank may make adjustments to its yield curve control policy. If this scenario unfolds, the Japanese yen could attempt a comeback in the currency markets, reversing some of its previous losses against the US dollar and the euro.