Key event of the week- Federal Reserve policy

The whole arena would go through nail-biting moments as the Federal Reserve (Fed) would announce its March monetary policy in times when fears of banking turmoil are deepening sharply. It seems unrealistic that Fed chair Jerome Powell would undermine the potential banking meltdown and will only focus on bringing down the stubborn inflation. Federal Reserve policymakers are delighted with the fact that January’s inflation data was a one-time blip as February’s inflation indicators displayed the continuation of inflation softening.

Therefore, the Federal Reserve would be relieved even if it announces second 25 basis points (bps) interest rate hike. In a recent poll by Reuters, 76 of 82 economists believe that the US Federal Reserve would raise its policy rate by 25 basis points to the range of 4.75-5% following the March Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting.