US dollar jumps as Dudley drops hawkish hint
Three Fed members have dropped hawkish hints in the past hour. The first two were Harker and Williams. Harker has been pushing for hikes for some time and his comments didn't add much new but Williams seemed to step up his rhetoric, saying a hike in March needed 'serious' consideration.
Markets didn't take much notice but just now NY Fed President Dudley said the case for tightening now is a lot more compelling in an interview on CNN.
Dudley is a core FOMC member and usually comes down on the dovish side so a more-hawkish comment so close to the decision is no accident. The Fed appears to be working towards pushing up hike odds and setting the table for a March move.
