Federal Reserve Hikes Benchmark Bank Rate by 75bps to Battle Elevated Inflation

On Wednesday, the U.S. Federal Reserve raised the federal funds rate by 75 basis points (bps) in order to tame inflation and stabilize the American economy. The recent rate hike is the U.S. central bank’s third rate increase after increasing the benchmark rate by 50 bps last March. Fed Hikes Rate by 75 bps for a Second Time in a Row to Tame Inflation, Central Bank Says ‘Inflation Remains Elevated’ With inflation scorching hot in America, the U.S. Federal Reserve has raised the federal funds rate once again, increasing it by 75 bps on Wednesday afternoon at 2:00 p.m.....

On Nov. 3, 2022, the Bank of England followed the U.S. Federal Reserve by codifying the eighth consecutive benchmark bank rate hike by 75 basis points (bps). The increase brings the United Kingdom’s main lending rate to 3%, after a majority of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) members voted in favor of the 75bps increase. Bank of England Hikes Repo Rate by 75bps, Monetary Policy Committee Insists More Rate Increases Will Be Needed to Obtain 2% Inflation Rate Goal Seven out of nine MPC members voted in favor of a 75bps rate hike, while two MPC members voted for lower increases.....

Federal Reserve Governor Michelle Bowman says she supports ongoing 75 basis point interest rate hikes “until inflation is on a consistent path to significantly decline,” citing “a significant risk of high inflation into next year for necessities including food, housing, fuel, and vehicles.” The Fed governor also noted that crypto assets “could benefit from more regulatory clarity.” Fed’s Bowman on Rate Hikes, Inflation, Crypto Regulation Federal Reserve Governor Michelle W. Bowman discussed the U.S. economy and the Fed’s....

While the U.S. Federal Reserve ramped up the benchmark bank rate with a barrage of rate hikes, U.S. Treasury markets and global bond markets, in general, have seen one of the worst selloffs in over a decade. The Fed’s actions has fueled criticism toward the U.S. central bank as some strategists believe the onslaught of interest rate hikes could spur illiquidity in the world’s largest bond market. Moreover, a report published on Tuesday, explains that the Fed and foreign central banks worldwide are “losing billions” by paying more interest. The Fed Is Losing Billions The U.S. Federal....

On Thursday, the European Central Bank (ECB) announced the central bank’s third consecutive benchmark bank rate increase this year, raising the rate by 75 basis points (bps). In addition to the rate hike, the ECB changed the central bank’s targeted longer-term refinancing operations terms and conditions noting that they need to be “recalibrated.” ECB Hikes Rate in Attempt to Curb Red-Hot Inflation Eight days ago, the European Union’s statistics office Eurostat published the latest inflation report for September. Eurostat’s records indicated that Euro area annual inflation jumped to 9.9% in....