Sign up with your email address to be the first to know about new products, VIP offers, blog features & more.

Is the Fed’s interest rate hike a major error?

First published: Prospectmagazine.co.uk, 14/12/2015

The shadow of the financial crash is finally being cast off

On Tuesday and Wednesday this week, the Federal Reserve will hold its last meeting of the year. And announce its first hike for 10 years. There are at least three reasons for the heightened state of anticipation surrounding it, especially the angst about whether it will amount to a policy error. All things considered, it’s the right thing to do, probably.

First, unless something shocking should happen, it will announce a change in interest rates for the first time since the financial crisis and the arrival of ZIRP or zero interest rate policy, and a rise for the first time since 2006. It came close to this decision at its meeting in September, but backed off in the face of the global market disturbances arising from turbulent developments in China’s equity market and the strange case of the mini-devaluation of the Yuan…Read more: