What to look for in the Fed monetary-policy statement
Given the recent government shutdown, economists think there is a very little chance the Federal Reserve will reduce the pace of its asset-purchase program — that is, “taper” — at the end of their two-day meeting Wednesday.
So what are they looking for?
The key question on everyone’s mind is whether the central bank will say anything to cement expectations that the first tapering will come in 2014.
The Fed has had trouble communicating its plan to taper. In June, bond yields soared when Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke raised the issue. And in September, the market was convinced the Fed would taper, but no move occurred.
Now expectations are all over the place. Many see the first Fed taper coming in January or March of next year, and some say it will come even later. A few see a chance of a move at the next meeting, 2013′s last, on Dec. 17-18.
If the Fed refers to a weaker tone in the labor-market data, that will boost the widespread view that the Fed will not taper until spring, said Amna Asaf , economist at Capital Economics.
Everything the Fed wants to express will come in the monetary-policy statement, to be released at 2 p.m. Eastern time. There will be no press conference afterward at which Bernanke could amplify any message.
Economists will be watching for what the Fed says about the impact of the 16-day federal government shutdown and the lack of economic data. Fed watchers also want to see what the Fed says about risks. In September, the Fed said risks “had diminished , on net, since last fall.”
And the central bank made a key change in its last statement, saying that it was focused on when to moderate the pace of purchases. Previously, the central bank said it might “increase or reduce” the pace of its purchases.
The final area of interest is whether the Fed alters its
unemployment-rate threshold for the first rate hike, which has been given as 6.5.% Some Fed officials have indicated they might want to lower that threshold or just back away from a specific number.