24 July 2021
Monetary Policy News
Markets prepare for Federal Reserve policy decision
The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System meet on 27 & 28 July 2021 for their policy meeting, with a press conference scheduled on 28 July after the 2:00pm release of its decision on the Federal Funds and Discount Window rates. While the Federal Reserve does not directly regulate rates set in the interbank market, the fed funds and discount window rates set the environment for rate determination in the interbank markets.
While the Federal Reserve maintained its policy of board members not releasing any statements during the week leading up to its policy announcement, the equity markets have been signaling an expectation that the central bank will continue its policy of purchasing $120 billion a month in U.S. Treasurys and agency backed debt. The past several weeks has seen increased discussions in Congress and the media about increasing prices for food, energy, automobiles, and other goods and services. Traders and dealers will be paying close attention to any language that signals an increase in the costs for money and/or changes in the supply of money.
For a consultation on any regulatory or legislative discussions or announcements, please reach out to us at altondrew@altondrew.com for information on consultation rates and to reserve an appointment.
Rates reported by the Federal Reserve (Release Date 23 July 2021)
Effective Fed Funds Rate: 0.10%
Discount Window: 0.25%
Prime Bank Rate: 3.25%
3-month Treasury bill: 0.05%
6-month Treasury bill: 0.05%
1-year Treasury bill: 0.07%
Prices
Exchange rates of interest as of 1:15 pm AST
| Currency pair | Exchange rate |
| AUD/USD* | 0.7364 |
| EUR/USD* | 1.1771 |
| GBP/USD* | 1.3746 |
| USD/CAD* | 1.2556 |
| USD/CHF* | 0.9190 |
| USD/JPY* | 110.5400 |
| USD/XCD+ | 2.7000 |
| USD/NGN+ | 411.1590 |
| USD/MXN* | 20.0430 |
