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Expectations for a Federal Reserve rate cut in November are heating up, drawing attention to the trend of the RMB exchange rate.
In the past few days, the fluctuating exchange rates between the US dollar and the renminbi (RMB) have caught my attention as an ordinary citizen. I heard that the Federal Reserve might lower interest rates in November, which is a significant event! You see, any movement in the US dollar causes our RMB to wobble. So, what exactly is going on?
A major shift in US dollar interest rate policy? Experts predict a possible rate cut in November.
A few days ago, I came across a news item online stating that the Chicago Mercantile Exchange predicted a probability of 86.7% for a 25 basis point rate cut by the Federal Reserve in November! This startled me, as the Federal Reserve has been consistently raising interest rates. Why the sudden move to cut rates?
Upon further investigation, it turned out that a series of recent economic data from Country M were not very optimistic. The number of job vacancies in August, ADP employment data, and non-farm employment data all indicated that the job market in Country M is cooling down. This is not a good sign! Employment data is one of the important indicators that the Federal Reserve uses to formulate monetary policy.
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Not only the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, but Societe Generale and CICC also predict that the Federal Reserve is very likely to cut rates by 25 basis points in November. It seems this is almost a done deal!
However, speaking of which, the Federal Reserve has been emphasizing the need to combat inflation for years, and now they are suddenly considering a rate cut. Isn't that a bit hasty? After all, the inflation rate hasn't dropped to the 2% target yet. I think the Federal Reserve should take a closer look and not rush things.
The RMB exchange rate breaks through the 7 threshold, with onshore and offshore rates diverging.
Just as the US dollar interest rate policy is about to change, the RMB exchange rate is also causing some stir. At the end of September, both onshore and offshore RMB exchange rates appreciated and broke through the 7 threshold, a sight not seen for several months!
But the good times didn't last long. By October 9th, the onshore RMB exchange rate fell back to 7.06-7.08, and the offshore RMB exchange rate fluctuated significantly, swinging between 6.97 and 7.11. Most interestingly, the offshore and onshore RMB exchange rates actually diverged, which is quite rare!I heard from a friend in finance that the divergence between offshore and onshore Renminbi exchange rates reflects the trend of international capital flows. I didn't quite understand the specifics, but it seems that the Renminbi exchange rate is indeed quite unstable.
Will a US dollar rate cut trigger capital outflows? Experts have differing opinions.
Now that the US dollar is going to be cut, what impact will it have on our Renminbi? I did some research online and found that the experts' opinions are really varied.
Some say that a US dollar rate cut will lead to a decrease in the attractiveness of dollar assets, and funds will flow to other countries, including China. As a result, the Renminbi exchange rate will appreciate. It sounds quite reasonable!
However, others hold the opposite view, believing that a US dollar rate cut will trigger an increase in global economic uncertainty, leading to funds flowing to the dollar for safety, and the Renminbi may depreciate. This argument is also interesting.
There are also those who say that the Federal Reserve will definitely control the pace of the rate cut cautiously and avoid the dollar depreciating too quickly and capital fleeing through expectation management. But I think, does the Federal Reserve really have such great power? After all, market reactions are difficult to fully control.
What will the future trend of the Renminbi exchange rate be? Expert predictions are all over the place.
So, if the US dollar really cuts rates by 25 basis points in November, will the Renminbi exchange rate make a big comeback? For this, I looked up some expert opinions and found that the predictions are all over the place.
Some believe that a US dollar rate cut will promote the appreciation of the Renminbi, but the range will not be too large, possibly fluctuating between 6.9 and 7.1. Others say that the US dollar rate cut is only a short-term factor, and in the long run, the Renminbi will still depreciate slightly.
There is also a view that the Renminbi exchange rate mainly depends on China's own economic fundamentals, and the impact of the US dollar rate cut is actually limited. I think this argument is quite reasonable, after all, our country's economy is so large, it's impossible to be completely led by the nose by the US dollar, right?That being said, these expert predictions all sound quite reasonable, but which one is correct? As an outsider, it's really hard for me to judge. Perhaps we'll have a better idea after the Federal Reserve actually cuts interest rates in November and we can observe the actual performance of the RMB exchange rate.
The impact of exchange rate fluctuations on ordinary people should not be underestimated.
Although exchange rates may seem far removed from our daily lives, they actually have a significant impact. For instance, if the RMB depreciates, we'll have to spend more money when traveling abroad or purchasing imported goods. On the contrary, if the RMB appreciates, the cost of studying abroad becomes relatively cheaper.
Furthermore, exchange rate fluctuations can also affect the profits of import and export companies, which in turn can impact employment and wage levels. So, even though we may not pay much attention to these issues in our daily lives, exchange rate changes do have a considerable impact on our lives.
In summary, the U.S. dollar interest rate policy and the trend of the RMB exchange rate are indeed complex topics. As an ordinary person, my understanding is limited. However, I believe we should pay more attention to these economic news stories, as they will affect our lives to some extent. As for the future direction of the RMB exchange rate, we'll just have to wait and see!