Expect markets to continue being jittery as we approach the FOMC meet

With rising inflation and a banking crisis in hand, it will be important to see what the Fed decides to do in the upcoming FOMC meet.

Jerome Powell, Fed Chair in his speech on 7th March said US inflation has moderated since the middle of last year but remains well above the FOMC's longer-run objective of 2 percent. He added that although inflation has been moderating in recent months, the process of getting it back down to targeted levels will be longer and is likely to be bumpy. Adding to it, the latest economic data is stronger than expected, which suggests that the ultimate level of interest rates is likely to be higher than previously anticipated.

In line with Powell’s indication, economists expect another rate hike for the upcoming Fed meet on March 21 -22. Madan Sabnavis, Chief Economist at Bank of Baroda says “Fed will continue to increase interest rates in the next policy and expect 25 bps hike. Given that employment remains tight, can look at 50-100 bps increase from the present levels.”