FOMC poised to start easing cycle amid uncertainty about rate cut size

The Federal Reserve is widely expected to lower the policy rate after the September meeting. The revised Summary of Economic Projections and Fed Chairman Powell’s remarks could provide important clues about the rate outlook. The US Dollar faces a two-way risk depending on the size of the interest rate cut.

The US Federal Reserve (Fed) will announce monetary policy decisions following the September policy meeting and release the revised Summary of Economic Projections (SEP), the so-called dot plot, on Wednesday. Market participants widely anticipate that the US central bank will lower the policy rate, but the size of the cut is up in the air.

The CME FedWatch Tool shows that markets are currently pricing in a nearly 60% probability of a 50 basis points (bps) rate cut against a nearly 40% chance of a 25 bps reduction. The market positioning suggests that the US Dollar (USD) faces a two-way risk heading into the event.