Fed To Publish Minutes Of June FOMC Minutes Ahead Of NFP

 | Jul 06, 2016 02:08

The US Central Bank Kept Rates on Hold Citing Brexit Risks

The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) June statement brought no surprises three weeks ago. The U.S. benchmark interest rate remained unchanged at 0.50 percent. Fed Chair Janet Yellen said that the then upcoming Brexit vote was a factor. The risk became a reality in the three-week lag between the rate announcement and the publication of the notes from member comments during the monetary policy meeting last month. The minutes will be published on Wednesday, July 7 at 2:00 pm EDT.

The shocking United Kingdom vote results on the European Union referendum are still coursing through the market. The British pound has hit 31-year lows and triggered volatility in global markets. The USD has appreciated for the most part as investors look for a safe haven although risk appetite has tried to make a return on a couple of occasions since the Brexit outcome was known.

The caution shown by the Fed last month was validated by the UK EU referendum outcome. Fed members knew that the worst possible outcome would have been a rate hike followed by a game changing decision by British voters. The Fed is in no urgency to enact monetary policy decisions, no so the central banks of England, Europe and Japan. There are no surprises expected in the June FOMC minutes, unlike the different comments found in April that put a June rate hike back on the table. Even before Brexit some Fed members were turning dovish on the path of future rate hikes and in the aftermath even a rate cut before the end of a year is a possibility.