Yesterday's FOMC decision and the subsequent press conference with Fed Chairman Jerome Powell did not really reveal much that was new. As a result, the US dollar barely reacted to the events, which must have come as a relief to many market participants after an exciting week, Commerzbank’s FX analyst Michael Pfister notes.

Further USD strength in the coming months

“In my opinion, there are only three facts worth mentioning. The FOMC is very confident that inflation is no longer a major problem. The part of the core PCE that is still exerting the greatest pressure on prices is, in their view, due to catch-up effects and should soon fade.”

“The real economy remains extremely strong, and they even see opportunities for even stronger growth next year than this year. The rate cuts are simply to ensure that this is the case.”

“And Powell has made it very clear that he has no intention of resigning if Donald Trump asks him to. He also made it clear that it would not be legally possible to remove him from office. All three of these factors are fundamentally positive for the USD and therefore encourage us to expect further USD strength in the coming months.”