"Economic activity increases at a moderate pace”: Fed’s Beige Book shows resilient growth amid inflation concerns
The Federal Reserve (Fed) released the latest Beige Book on Wednesday, which the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) uses in discussions about setting monetary policy. The Beige Book gathers information from the Fed's 12 districts and provides an overall picture of the US economy.
The report states that economic activity increased at a “slight to moderate pace for ten of the twelve districts," with one reporting a slight decline and another one, no change.
Regarding inflation, prices increased at a moderate-to-strong pace overall, with most districts reporting higher inflation than in the previous book. Meanwhile, employment shows little or no change across eleven of the twelve districts, with the outlier experiencing modest growth.
Meanwhile, businesses' outlook for the following six months was reported to show little change.
US Dollar Price Today
The table below shows the percentage change of US Dollar (USD) against listed major currencies today. US Dollar was the strongest against the New Zealand Dollar.
| USD | EUR | GBP | JPY | CAD | AUD | NZD | CHF | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USD | 0.31% | 0.39% | 0.06% | 0.43% | 0.69% | 1.10% | 0.68% | |
| EUR | -0.31% | 0.07% | -0.26% | 0.15% | 0.41% | 0.78% | 0.38% | |
| GBP | -0.39% | -0.07% | -0.32% | 0.04% | 0.30% | 0.68% | 0.30% | |
| JPY | -0.06% | 0.26% | 0.32% | 0.34% | 0.61% | 0.97% | 0.60% | |
| CAD | -0.43% | -0.15% | -0.04% | -0.34% | 0.27% | 0.66% | 0.26% | |
| AUD | -0.69% | -0.41% | -0.30% | -0.61% | -0.27% | 0.39% | -0.02% | |
| NZD | -1.10% | -0.78% | -0.68% | -0.97% | -0.66% | -0.39% | -0.38% | |
| CHF | -0.68% | -0.38% | -0.30% | -0.60% | -0.26% | 0.02% | 0.38% |
The heat map shows percentage changes of major currencies against each other. The base currency is picked from the left column, while the quote currency is picked from the top row. For example, if you pick the US Dollar from the left column and move along the horizontal line to the Japanese Yen, the percentage change displayed in the box will represent USD (base)/JPY (quote).
Fed FAQs
Monetary policy in the US is shaped by the Federal Reserve (Fed). The Fed has two mandates: to achieve price stability and foster full employment. Its primary tool to achieve these goals is by adjusting interest rates. When prices are rising too quickly and inflation is above the Fed’s 2% target, it raises interest rates, increasing borrowing costs throughout the economy. This results in a stronger US Dollar (USD) as it makes the US a more attractive place for international investors to park their money. When inflation falls below 2% or the Unemployment Rate is too high, the Fed may lower interest rates to encourage borrowing, which weighs on the Greenback.
The Federal Reserve (Fed) holds eight policy meetings a year, where the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) assesses economic conditions and makes monetary policy decisions. The FOMC is attended by twelve Fed officials – the seven members of the Board of Governors, the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, and four of the remaining eleven regional Reserve Bank presidents, who serve one-year terms on a rotating basis.
In extreme situations, the Federal Reserve may resort to a policy named Quantitative Easing (QE). QE is the process by which the Fed substantially increases the flow of credit in a stuck financial system. It is a non-standard policy measure used during crises or when inflation is extremely low. It was the Fed’s weapon of choice during the Great Financial Crisis in 2008. It involves the Fed printing more Dollars and using them to buy high grade bonds from financial institutions. QE usually weakens the US Dollar.
Quantitative tightening (QT) is the reverse process of QE, whereby the Federal Reserve stops buying bonds from financial institutions and does not reinvest the principal from the bonds it holds maturing, to purchase new bonds. It is usually positive for the value of the US Dollar.
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