A very cautious Christmas

Monday 20th December 2021Markets are very cautious ahead of the Christmas break, with concerns about the impact of the Omicron strain. The Netherlands has gone into another lockdown and restrictions are being introduced in many other parts of Europe. But that’s not stopping a more hawkish attitude from the FOMC. NAB’s Tapas Strickland says a March hike in the US is a real possibility, with Fed Governor Waller flagging concerns about an “alarmingly high” inflation rate. More discontinuity in supply chains from Omicron could add to inflation concerns, of course. Today, we also discuss rate hikes whilst winding down balance sheets. Could central banks go too far too quickly? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.