Powell’s dovish comments lift global equities

Dovish comments by Federal Reserve chair Powell and hopes for strong sales in the post-Thanksgiving holiday season lifted US equities last week. US stock market recouped previous week’s losses as Powell’s statement the interest rate is now “just below” neutral rate was interpreted as a signal the central bank may slow the pace of rate hikes next year. The SP 500 rose 4.9% and the ICE US dollar index gained 0.2%.

All major global stock indices rebounded from significant losses of the previous week. Nasdaq rallied 5.6%. Most of major currency pairs sustained previous week’s dynamics while the range of fluctuations narrowed still more. The Australian dollar remained the leader in terms of percentage change: it turned 1.1% higher against the US dollar.

Two major central banks are meeting this week: The Reserve Bank of Australia and Bank of Canada on Tuesday and Wednesday. Data from jobs market report on Friday will be a major indicator.