In the last thirty days, we have observed a series of significant changes in macroeconomic indicators on global financial markets, which have the potential to shape monetary policy and influence investor decisions. Starting with the labor market in Australia, the latest data shows a decrease in employment by 18.6 thousand, which is a significant deviation from the expected increase of 16.7 thousand. Unemployment rose from 4.3% to 4.5%. Such a situation in the labor market may suggest a weakening economy, which could put pressure on the Reserve Bank of Australia to consider more stimulative actions to support employment.
Inflation, both in the United Kingdom and Canada, shows signs of some cooling. In the United Kingdom, the year-on-year CPI fell to 2.8%, while forecasts had anticipated 3.0%. In Canada, the month-on-month CPI was 0.4%, which is also a lower result than the expected 0.7%. Both of these readings may indicate the effectiveness of the central banks' previous actions aimed at controlling inflation. Nevertheless, they still remain at levels that may require further attention from monetary policymakers.
In the United States, producer price index (PPI) data was higher than expected. The month-on-month PPI increased by 1.4%, significantly above the expected 0.5%, and the Core PPI rose by 1.0% compared to the expected 0.3%. Such results may suggest that inflationary pressures in the U.S. economy are still present, which could influence future decisions by the Federal Reserve regarding interest rate hikes.
Currently, the market shows almost certainty that at the upcoming FOMC meeting, the interest rate will remain at 3.50-3.75%, with a probability of 98.1%. Low consumer inflation (CPI) in the U.S., which according to the latest data was 3.7% year-on-year, may support the decision to maintain interest rates at the current level, at least in the short term.
In the context of the Bank of England's monetary policy, Governor Andrew Bailey's speech did not bring new information, which may suggest that the central bank is monitoring current macroeconomic indicators and waiting for clearer signals from the economy before taking any action.
In the UK market, the change in the number of people applying for unemployment benefits was 26.5 thousand, exceeding expectations of 23.1 thousand. The high number of new unemployed may be another signal of a weakening economy and indicate that the labor market in the United Kingdom is becoming increasingly strained.
Market sentiment, measured by the Fear & Greed Index, remains stable at 59/100, suggesting moderate greed among investors. This is a slight decrease compared to 63/100 a week ago and 68/100 a month ago, which may indicate some caution among market participants in anticipation of further macroeconomic data and central bank decisions.
In summary, the current macroeconomic situation in various economies around the world shows mixed signals. On one hand, we see cooling inflation, which may suggest that previous actions by central banks are beginning to yield results. On the other hand, challenges such as rising unemployment in Australia or inflationary pressures in the U.S. may be significant factors influencing future monetary policy actions. This situation requires careful monitoring and may lead to further volatility in financial markets.