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Goldman Sachs on the next Fed move
September 5, 2007 |
- The sharp rise in Eurodollar deposit rates in recent days to slightly above the 5.75% discount rate has increased expectations of an imminent “stand-alone” cut in the discount rate. Such a move could bring down LIBOR substantially, and it would not involve an inter-meeting cut in the funds rate target, which by most forecasters’ reckoning (and ours) looks unattractive to many Fed officials.
- While we would not rule out such a move, it is problematic for several reasons. First, there is some risk that the financial markets would interpret it as a signal that the Fed does not intend to cut the funds rate target on September 18 after all, which could cause significant turbulence. Second, it might look “puny” following the August 17 combination of a discount rate cut and a shift in the bias, especially if the discount rate is cut by only 25 basis points this time. Third, a 50-basis-point cut would eliminate the long-standing principle that lender-of-last-resort liquidity provision should occur at a penalty rate.
- Our baseline forecast is that the Fed will cut the funds rate by 25 basis points and the discount rate by 50 basis points on September 18. This assumes that the money markets remain under significant pressure at that point, but that the data do not show a substantial deterioration in economic activity. If the money market pressure and/or the data get significantly worse, a 50-basis-point cut in the fed funds rate is also possible. Conversely, if the money market pressure abates, the committee might opt for only a 25-basis-point cut in the discount rate.
Source: US Daily Financial Market Comment, 4 September