Some items on the agenda to look out for that could impact the Fed and the USD this year
Trump has already got a win in late 2017, as the tax overhaul package kicked into effect yesterday. But he and the GOP may face a tougher time in 2018 - especially with the mid-term elections that will be held this year (where all House seats and 1/3 of the Senate seats will be up for grabs).
Meanwhile, the Fed is expected to hike rates three times this year and we will also see some fresh faces on the Fed board - with Jerome Powell taking over as Fed chair in February.
Here are some key dates to look out for:
- 19 January - Govt funding expires on this date, and Congress needs to agree on new funding or risk a govt shutdown
- 23-28 January - NAFTA talks between US, Mexico, and Canada
- 30 January - Trump addresses Congress by delivering his State of the Union address
- 30-31 January - FOMC meeting
- 4 February - Jerome Powell takes over as Fed chair
- 20-21 March - FOMC meeting (w/ presser and projections)
- 1-2 May - FOMC Meeting
- 12-13 June - FOMC meeting (w/ presser and projections)
- 25-26 July - FOMC meeting
- 25-26 September - FOMC meeting (w/ presser and projections)
- 6 November - Mid-term elections begin
- 7-8 November - FOMC meeting
- 18-19 December - FOMC meeting (w/ presser and projections)
Assuming Powell sticks to the script and follows in Yellen's footsteps in hiking rates only in FOMC meetings with a press conference, the four bolded ones are the key meetings to look out for.
Of course there's going to be a lot more to come into the agenda as the year goes by - but here are some of the major ones that I've spotted thus far. If anything, just keep a note - but similar to 2017, you just can't predict what's going to happen with Donald Trump.
