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Aug 29, 2024 5:10 PM

Traders Scale Back Bets On 50-Basis-Point September Rate Cut Ahead of Friday's Key Fed Inflation Gauge Data

An upward revision of U.S. gross domestic product growth in the second quarter has led speculators to reconsider their bets on a substantial 50-basis-point rate cut next month.

This adjustment comes as the market eagerly anticipates the release of the Personal Consumption Expenditure (PCE) price index, the Fed’s favorite inflation report, scheduled for 8:30 a.m. ET Friday.

The U.S. economy grew at an annualized rate of 3% in the last quarter, according to the government’s second estimate, which revised earlier projections of 2.8% growth.

The increase was largely driven by household spending, which was also revised upward from 2.3% to 2.9%. This strong boost in GDP, alongside recent jobless claims that showed no significant cooling in the labor market, has caused traders to slightly scale back their expectations of a larger rate cut from the Federal Reserve.

Traders Start To Question Need For Large Rate Cuts

The market-implied probability of a 50-basis-point rate cut has ...