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The world economy’s tectonic plates will shift this week when a US easing cycle begins, just as officials from Europe to Asia set policy against a backdrop of brittle markets.
A 36-hour monetary roller coaster will start with the Federal Reserve’s probable decision to cut interest rates tomorrow, and finish on Friday with the outcome of the Bank of Japan’s first meeting since it raised borrowing costs and helped sow the seeds of a global selloff.
Along the way, central banking peers in the Group of 20 and beyond that are poised to adjust their own policy levers include Brazil, where officials may tighten for the first time in 3 1/2 years, and the Bank of England.
The UK central bank faces a delicate judgment on the pace of its balance-sheet unwind, and may also signal how ready it is to ease further. South African policymakers are anticipated to cut borrowing costs for the first time since 2020, while counterparts in Norway and Turkey may keep them unchanged.
The Fed decision will take centre stage, with jittery traders debating whether officials will judge a quarter-point cut to be adequate medicine for an economy showing signs of losing momentum, or whether they’ll opt for a half-point move instead. Clues on the Fed’s future intentions will also be pivotal.
Bongani Ndlovu
Online Reporter